In the Shadows
by ZeldinaDreamermoon
Summary: The Black Veil had been destroyed many years ago by Hyrule's Hero of Time. Years later War broke out and the magic used in it caused rifts to open. The rifts were slowly being closed by the Hero and his descendants but one rift was not so easily handled and a young man was pulled through before it could close. Warning for Yaoi
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

A/N: So this took me about 130 hours in game to do, which doesn't count the time I spent editing by the computer.

Disclaimer I do not own Legend of Zelda that belongs to Nintendo and I don't own Bleach that belongs to Tite Kubo.

And this is a slash meaning that there is a male/male relationship in focus.

* * *

Many years ago in a different time, a Hero came to us from the forest. Clad in green, this youth gathered the sacred stones. He played the sacred tune, and pulling the sacred blade of evil's bane, he fell into a holy sleep.

To rid us from the evil that plagued our lands for seven years he slept.

The traveller though time awakened the six sages and slew the evil king saving our blessed lands. Together with the Princess of Destiny, he sealed the evil one away.

Some say he left.

Some that he returned to his own time.

There are legends that speak of a companion for the Hero. A boy with guay coloured hair and emerald green eyes. A boy that came for another world. He was trained by the Sheikah and could wield the very elements of nature. They say he aided the Hero in his quest.

Some believe that the Hero travelled with him to his own homeland.

…

Time travels differently between worlds.

In another world a youth appeared. He destroyed the Black Veil and joined his lover. One bright, with golden hair and azure eyes. One dark, with raven hair and an emerald gaze.

Together theses two rid us from an evil dark lord and brought peace to the world.

The two were said to possess forms of beasts greater than any animal of their kind. They looked like wolves but no wolf could compare.

…

Years passed. War broke out once more. The two Heroes were older now. But they and their descendants did not sit idly by as the world fell into ruin. No they did their best to prevent it.

Magic ran wild and rifts were opening. Rifts that if left to their own devices could call upon the greatest of evils. The World Eater.

One by one the rifts were closed until a single one remained.

… … … …

Link, The Hero of Time.

Harry Potter-Slytherin the son of Salazar Slytherin. An apprentice to the Sheikah and a wielder of elemental magic.

The heroes who saved different worlds thrice.

.

.

.

This story tells of the child of their daughter.

A young man named Link.

* * *

The forest was calm and quiet. A pack of monkeys sat in a glade. They were squabbling over fruit they had nicked from a small human settlement nearby earlier. They finally settled down when…

A light flashed through the glade.

"Oh, by Din what happened?"

A young teen with unruly honey-blond hair and bright green eyes had suddenly and out of nowhere appeared in the glade. He looked around and huffed. _'Where am I?' _he wondered. The trees were huge and lush. He hadn't seen trees like these back home **ever** and he knew for a fact that there had been no trees were his family had gone to close off the magic rift. "I fell through," he whispered in Hylian. Everyone in his family spoke Hylian. It was because of his granddad Link and well a bit because of grandpa Harry too he guessed. They spoke Hylian a lot and as a result he and his cousins all knew the language.

He moved around the glade slowly. His head hurt and he was sort of tingly all over. He looked up at the sky. Had he just been separated from everything he knew? His family – his friends – everyone? There was a scuffle to his right, and he could see a Deku baba killing a rat. He had only seen pictures of Deku babas before now. But he knew that they lived in Hyrule not on Earth.

Tears made their way to his eyes and down his face. He tried to wipe them away but they wouldn't stop flowing. "Mommy," he whispered. "Otōsan, Matthew, Lillian, Jane, Hanna… Grandpa… Granddad…" he was sobbing loudly. No one answered him. There was no one else there. He collapsed on the ground and curled up in a ball, crying.

…

It is impossible to know for how long the boy lay there crying.

There was a rustling noise but the boy didn't feel up to tuning around. His body was aching and he felt miserable.

A warm hand landed on his shoulder. "Hey kid, how did you end up all the way out here?" a warm male voice asked. When the boy didn't answer the man went down on his knees and pulled him up. He shifted the boy so he could see his face. Noticing the tear trails he pulled the boy closer. "Hey kid what's happened. Are you OK?" he asked.


	2. Ordon Village

**Ordon Village**

Two persons were walking down a forest path. One was honey-blond and the other straw-blond. One was young the other was in his thirties. Green eyes scanned the path absentmindedly as the teen followed the older man. The man had found him in the forest earlier in the day and insisted that he'd come with him to his home village. According to the man it wasn't all that much farther to go.

Rusl looked back at the teen behind him. The boy hadn't spoken yet. He just kept staring at the ground as they walked. He had tried time and time again to get the boy to open up but to no avail. He turned his gaze back to the path before them and sighed.

Link moved his arms together over his chest. He didn't really feel like going with the blond man in front of him, but he knew that he couldn't just stay in the forest. He had no idea what lived out there. He looked up at Rusl, the man had introduced himself earlier, and shifted uncomfortably.

"Can you at the very least tell me your name young one," Rusl asked the green-eyed teen.

The boy looked up at him, his eyes hollow. "Link," he said quietly not bothering with his last name.

"Link," Rusl said. "Well, Link welcome to Ordon Village."

They had been walking along a cliff-face for some time now. Link had been watching the moss hanging from the stone as they walked. He blinked almost blinded by the last sunrays of the day as the cliff-face gave way to an open area. When he could see again he looked out over the village. It was small. There were no more than five or six houses. He noticed vaguely that one of the houses was built into the trunk of a tree and another had pink tiles on its roof. He didn't actually want to go down there. He looked behind him. There was a rather big tree with twisted branches standing there. A part of him – the more practical one – wondered if he could build a house there. Maybe he could even convince the tree to cooperate with him. He might not be as good with plants as his uncle Mikau but he was decent enough.

Rusl had started walking again, and Link followed slowly. Soon enough they were standing in front of a small but cosy looking house. "You can stay with us for now. I know that Uli my wife won't mind, and I'm sure Colin will be happy," Rusl said with a smile before he opened the door.

Link didn't step in though. They were way too happy for his liking right now. He stepped back from the open door. That tree that he'd seen earlier seemed like a good place to go. He wrapped his arms around himself and hurried his steps. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He stopped in front of the tree with its twisted branches and placed the palm of his hand against the tree trunk. He pushed his magic into the wood smiling sadly as it slowly started changing the tree's shape. He would have to be careful so he didn't overdo it since there probably wasn't any healer around here.

…

Hours later, Rusl walked around the village looking for the blond. He hoped that the child hadn't left the village since the forest around them could be very dangerous at night. He had searched everywhere else and was currently heading towards the village exit hoping that the kid would show up. He stopped as he arrived in the clearing just before Ordon Woods.

The boy was laying in a juncture created in the big tree's trunk.

Rusl blinked surprised. He couldn't remember the juncture being there before, but then again he was so used to the tree that maybe he just didn't notice it anymore. He ran the fingers of his right hand over his dark moustache. The night air was warm. _'Can I really leave the kid out here?'_ he wondered. His wife wouldn't be too happy, but he had the feeling that the kid needed some time alone. Whatever had happened to him had been traumatic and he needed time. The man sighed, shook his head and started heading back home. He didn't notice the green eyes that followed his movements.

Link wasn't asleep – not yet anyway. He was laying there studying the leaves above him his mind wandering. He had once wished that he could go on an adventure like Grandpa Harry and Granddad Link, but now he just wanted to go back home. He wondered how much time had passed here… in Hyrule. Was Salazar still alive? If he was then maybe he could help… but then again he could be dead too. Right now even a map of Hyrule would help him. He could compare it to what he remembered from the stories. He guessed he couldn't just stop living though. He turned his head to the side and looked at the small village. Giving up wouldn't get him home.

He didn't know if he was ready to talk to anyone though. And he didn't quite know what on Earth he'd tell them. "Hi my name is Link and I'm from a different planet. My Granddad was from Hyrule though so that's how I know the language. My family was trying to close off magical rifts in our world that were being created because of wild magic released in the Magic World War. I kind of fell through a rift, and that is how I ended up here," he muttered. Then he sighed. He couldn't tell them that. They wouldn't believe him.

Eventually sleep overtook the teen. His dreams were restless and confusing. They had him tossing and turning throughout the night.

* * *

Link hummed as he walked back from Hyrule Field to Ordon Village. He had eventually opened up a bit to the Ordonians. As far as they knew his family was dead, and he didn't feel like correcting them. His family wasn't around anyway.

It had been a bit over a year now he guessed. Time didn't move quite the same here as it had done on Earth. He had finished building his house months ago, and now he was helping at the village ranch. That day, however, Fado had given him the day off. The Mayor probably wouldn't be too happy, but the blond couldn't help but take advantage of the situation and do some exploring.

It was getting late though. He needed to get back to the village before sunset.

He stopped suddenly. _'What was that?'_ he wondered. He thought he'd heard a cry in the distance. "Link, Link are you starting to…" he stopped talking as he heard it again, closer this time. He grabbed the wooden sword Rusl had taught him how to carve. The man had no idea that Link had been trained in swordsmanship for years by his Granddad and Uncle Aidan. He was following his Grandpa's advice though, "Never flaunt your abilities. You never know when you're amongst those who would judge you for them."

Link had been moving quietly between the trees. He stopped before entering a glade. There were two monsters with moss-green skin and glowing red eyes attacking a horse. The blond didn't even hesitate. He pulled his wooden-sword and dashed forward, slamming the blade against the closest monster's neck. He heard a satisfying crunch and moved the sword over, blocked the second monster's club and aimed his strike at the throat. Once the monsters were downed he dropped the wooden blade and hunched down. He moved up to the mare and touched the wounds that the monster's had inflicted on her with a light hand. There was so much damage done to her. He placed his palms against her belly and focused on his magic. His hands started glowing faintly as he pushed healing magic into her.

He continued until his breathing got laboured. He knew he had to stop. Green eyes opened. He looked down at the horse. Some of the wounds looked a bit better than before, but it was still bad. "Come on girl. I can get you help, but you need to stand up for me," Link said softly. He helped the horse up slowly.

Then the horse neighed.

Link's magic acted on its own when a club impacted with the back of his head. It flared out, and as he fell forward, his magic burst out and burned the monsters that hit him.

…

Green eyes blinked open slowly. Everything was green. The blond sat up slowly. Next to him a brown mare stood on shaky legs. He reached up and touched the sore spot on the back of his head. "Ouch," he hissed. He looked back up at the horse. "I guess I should get you back to the village as soon as possible," he told her. He stood op slowly, trying to keep his bearings as his head started spinning.

Once steady, he placed a hand on the mare's neck and started walking with her.

The grass beneath their feet darkened, and the sky had turned orange some time ago. The only sound apart from their steps was bird song.

Link led the mare to his house. He helped her down and ran into the village.

"Oh, Link there you are. Rusl was going to go out and look for you," Uli said as the blond came up to their small house.

"Well here I am. I found something when I wandered around though…" he told her about the horse and Uli was on her feet almost immediately. She walked in to the house and came back out with a basket. "Show me," she said her voice business like.

Link led the gentle woman back to his house and showed her the mare. He was told to make a small fire and warm water which had him rolling his eyes. Even with the amount of magic he'd used already that day he could still cheat with those tasks easily. The fire was up and going within seconds. He sat down next to the flames and stared into them.

Faint footsteps could be heard after a while and a young boy came walking up to the fire. Link didn't look up but he knew who it was. "Hey Colin," he said. He looked up at the boy. The little blond looked a lot like his mother. Their facial features unfortunately had them looking rather sad most of the time. The boy's hair was messy telling Link that he'd most likely been in a fight with Talo again.

"Hey Link, what are you doing?" the shy boy asked.

"I'm warming water for your mother so she can help the mare I found earlier today."

"Oh," Colin said. He looked down into the flames.

Link reached out and ruffled the seven-year-old's hair. Then he lay back. "Do you want to hear a story?" he asked.

"Yes!" the smaller boy exclaimed excitedly. He loved Link's stories.

"O.K." Link said with a warm chuckle. "Once upon a time…

…

"Link, I need your help," Uli called.

The blond stood up from his position by the fire quickly. He walked over to Uli and kneeled down. "What do I need to do?" he asked her.

"Her foal isn't coming out you need to pull it but be careful," Uli said her face twisted in concentration.

Link nodded. He moved down and took a deep breath. He grabbed the foal's body in a firm but gentle grasp and pulled slowly. The little horse was slimy with blood and – Din knows what else – but that didn't stop the blond from helping her. He sat back with the little foal in his lap and looked up at Uli. "What is it?" he asked as he noticed the sad look on her face.

Uli sighed. "She didn't make it," she said.

Link looked at the mare, saddened by the news. "At least her little one made it," he said.

Uli nodded slowly. "It will be hard to raise it without the mother though," she said.

* * *

"Catch it, Link!" Fado cried as one of the Ordon goats broke out off the pen.

The blond turned around and upon seeing the wayward animal started running. He speeded up as the goat past the Mayor's house. He threw himself forward, grabbed the goat by the horns and yanked it to the side making the animal fall over. "Where do you think you're going, huh?" he asked the goat as he helped it back up on its feet. "Come on let's get you back to the ranch." He took a firm grip on the hors that connected above the goat's head forming a perfect circle.

"Good catch there Link," Mayor Bo said from his porch. "It was a hurdle to get a hold of them before you came around." He chuckled.

"Glad to be of service Mayor," Link said with an extravagant bow.

Bo started laughing heartedly. Once he calmed down somewhat he said, "You should probably get that goat back up to the ranch before she decides to run off again."

Link slammed his heels together and saluted. "Yes sir," he said before he started leading the goat back up the path. He came up to the gate where Fado stood waiting for him. "I see that you made it alright," he said.

Link nodded. "It isn't too difficult if you're agile," he said with a shrug.

Fado snorted. "If you say so," he said.

They led the goat in to the stable and into a pen.

"There girl," Link said softly stroking her grey-blue coat. The goat bleated at him and the blond chuckled. He followed Fado back out of the stables and closed the doors.

"So how's Epona doing?" Fado asked as they walked down to the village.

Link shrugged. "Ilia decided that since Epona is a girl she should be cared for by a girl. She's doing O.K. I guess but she won't let me near her," he said. It was stupid really. The horse liked him better than Ilia. Once they knew that the little foal would survive, Link had named her after his Granddad's horse in Hyrule. It had felt right. The foal even looked like Granddad's Epona with her brown coat and light almost white mane and tail.

Ilia had been a bit put out when everyone had agreed that it was a great name.

Fado chuckled. "Let her have her fun she likes nursing the little one," he said.

Link rolled his eyes. "I'll have to start halter breaking her soon and she needs to move around more or her muscles and bones won't develop properly. I guess I'll have to make certain that happens," he said.

Fado shook his head. "I've got no clue how you know so much about horses but I guess it is good you do," he said.

"My grandparents had horses and they taught all of their grandkids how to handle them," Link said. "We all knew how to ride and how to take care of the horses both before and afterwards." His gaze turned towards the forest where he'd arrived in Hyrule. He missed his family.

Fado allowed him his peace. There was very little the man could say or do. What did you tell a young man that had lost everything?

…

Link walked over to Ordon Spring where Ilia could most often be found with Epona. He stopped by the gate and looked in. The spring was beautiful with its cascading clear water and lush trees. There was an almost constant rainbow hanging in the air above the water and horse grass was growing in clusters in the sand.

Ilia was petting Epona softly, but the blond could see that the pony was restless. He walked forward. "You know she needs to get a chance to run around Ilia," he said.

The Green eyed girl looked up. "She is just a baby she needs to be take…"

"She needs to move around or her bones won't develop the way they should. From tomorrow onwards she will be spending time with me during the day so she can get the exercise she needs," Link cut her off. "Up until now the amount she's been running around when she's with you has been plenty enough but she's getting bigger and needs more now." His tone was short not necessarily because he disliked Ilia but because his message had to get across.

The thirteen-year-old girl narrowed her eyes at him. She didn't like being told what she could and couldn't do. She was the Mayor's daughter after all. She was about to open her mouth and tell the rude boy off when Link started talking again, "Look I've handled horses since I was like four I know what they need Ilia. You don't," he said bluntly. He hummed a tune his granddad had taught him. It was called Epona's Song.

Epona trotted over to him. She threw her head about and neighed. "Hey girl, you know I think there'll be rain tonight we should go to the stables with you," Link said softly. He placed a hand on her neck gently and started walking back to the village leaving a confused and fuming Ilia behind.

* * *

The brush moved in long strokes over the mare's side. They had been out trotting around the forest and getting a feel for the saddle. Epona was a great horse. Link had never felt as connected to a horse as he did to her. He now understood what his grandfathers had been on about when they spoke of Epona and Seidan.

Fado had been hoping that Epona would be able to help them with the goats, and Link was pretty certain he could manage that. It would take some training but they'd get there. He placed the brush back in its bucket when he was done. He stretched and looked up at the sky. It was clear and warm Epona could stay out tonight. "There you go girl," he said and ran his fingers down the bridge of her nose. He made certain that she had enough water before heading into the main part of the village.

"So, you're back now Link. Talo was looking for you earlier," Jaggle said from his position on top of a rock. Jaggle was Talo and Malo's father and generally a lazy layabout. He tended to stand on the very same rock he was standing on right this moment and look down at the river. He called it keeping watch but most people knew better. His sons Talo and Malo were eight and two years old in that order. They were both brunets with green eyes. Their mother, Pergie, could more often than not be found in their house. She was an excellent cook.

Link sighed. He hoped that Talo hadn't gone off to bully Colin when the brunet couldn't find him. The boys were the same age, but they didn't get along very well. Two years in Ordon had taught the blond the best way to handle the boys was to tell them a story. They would both listen and shut up. It was the most civil anyone could get them. "I better go find him then," he told Jaggle.

The man chuckled. "That is most likely a good idea. He and Beth were heading over towards the mayor's house last I saw them," he said.

Link thanked Jaggle for the information and started walking. His suspicions about what the two kids were up to were confirmed when he saw them and Colin standing together behind the Mayor's house. Beth the only girl among the younger children was standing off to the side while Talo was ridiculing poor Colin. Beth noticed Link and told the boys, "Stop it you're so childish." She turned to Link fully. "Hey Link where have you been?" she asked.

The blond rolled his eyes before he walked closer and gave Talo a pointed look. "I was out riding Epona," he answered her.

Beth was two years older than the boys, and Link really couldn't understand why she was hanging around Talo. The boy was mean and immature and frankly tended to get on his nerves something awful. He normally didn't let his irritation show though. He might have a temper but Harry had taught him how to control that years ago because of his elemental ability. An angry Link just wasn't healthy for anything in his vicinity.

Beth's mother, Sera, owned the only shop in town and her father, Hanch, was the supplier. They didn't really sell anything that people needed which reminded Link of the Kokiri shop that his Granddad had told him about.

The kids eventually managed to convince him to tell them a story. Not that he was that difficult to convince. He was going to tell them a story about a magical child in a strange land.


	3. Runaway Child

**Runaway Child**

Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess belongs to Nintendo... do I really have to write this we are on of course I don't own it ;P

* * *

Another two years had passed in Ordon Village. Seasons had changed and the children had grown. Link had over time gotten used to the calm and quiet lifestyle the village provided. He enjoyed it but he still longed to go back home somehow.

It was evening and the sun was setting.

Link and Rusl were sitting together by the spring in Faron Woods. They were watching the warm orange sunrays reflecting off the water surface. The birds were signing softly, and the slight breeze made the leaves rustle. Once in a while a fish would hop out off its home in the deeper end of the spring.

Rusl turned to the blond teen sitting next to him. "Tell me… Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls?" he asked.

Link raised an eyebrow. He honestly couldn't say that he understood what the man was talking about so he opted to stay quiet. His fingertips brushed through the rough sand beneath him.

Rusl didn't seem to mind. He had gotten used to the teen's silence by now. "They say it's the only time when our world intersects with theirs… The only time we can feel the lingering regrets of spirits who have left our world," he said.

Link shifted. He might have told the Ordonians that his family was dead to avoid questions he didn't know how to answer, but it was far from the truth. He missed them of course but they weren't gone – just not there. Rusl and his family had welcomed him, and he was grateful for that. It just didn't stop him from trying to find a way back home.

"You know, that is why loneliness always pervades that hour of twilight…"

Link wanted to roll his eyes. He didn't feel any lonelier at twilight than he did at any other time of the day. He actually liked it. The twilight was soothing and fit his mood better than the bright light of day.

Rusl shifted and sighed. "But enough talk of sadness… I have a favour to ask of you, Link," he said.

The blond turned around to face his –sort of– mentor. "Yeah," he said curiously.

Rusl nodded. "I was supposed to deliver something to the royal family of Hyrule the day after tomorrow…" he said.

Link raised an eyebrow. "But I thought that Bo…" he was cut off.

"Yes it was a task set to me by the Mayor, but," Rusl paused. He ran a hand through his hair. "Would you go in my stead?" he asked.

Link thought about it for a moment, but before he could give his answer Rusl said, "You have never been to Hyrule, right?"

The blond almost snorted. He'd never been to Hyrule Castle Town, but he'd travelled out on Hyrule Field often enough – not that anyone needed to know that. He only listened with half an ear as Rusl started talking about Hyrule. He honestly wasn't interested. He'd love to travel, of course, but long anecdotes about the world, he could do without. He was startled out of his thoughts when Rusl stood up next to him. He turned to look at the man.

"It is getting late… We should head back to the village. I will talk to the Mayor about this matter," Rusl said.

"Oh, O.K.," Link said. He smiled at the man and stood up. He walked over to Epona, who was loaded with firewood they had gathered before sitting down to rest, and the three of them headed back over the bridge that stretched over the gorge between Faron and Ordon Woods.

Uli and Colin were waiting for Rusl when he and Link walked up to the blonde's house.

The well-built blond man grabbed a bundle of firewood from Epona's back. "You can just leave the rest in a pile here, and I'll let the others know its here," he told Link before biding the young man goodnight and walking off with his family.

…

An hour or so later a shout woke Link up. He'd just managed to fall asleep and was a tad bit grumpy. He blinked his green eyes open and yawned. _'Not awake,'_ he thought groggily as he sat up. He looked out through the window next to his bed only to see Fado standing out there. "What's it?" he asked before he yawned once more.

"Hey, you mind helpin' me herd the goats? They ain't listenin' to me lately," Fado yelled.

Link sighed. _'When was the last time they actually listened to you?' _he wondered. Out loud he said, "Just give me a sec an' I'll be right down." He swung his legs off the edge of the bed and stood up. He looked down at himself and groaned. He'd managed to fall asleep in his clothes again. "Well at least Fado made certain I didn't sleep through the night in my clothes," he muttered. _'Speaking of the devil, Fado is yelling again,' _he thought.

"Hey where's Epona?"

Link rolled his eyes. _'With Ilia most likely if she isn't down there,'_ he thought as he opened the front door. He walked outside and jumped down from his house, landing next to Fado.

"C'mon, now hurry up an' bring Epona with you," the man said before he took of towards the ranch.

The blond snorted. _'Impatient much,'_ he thought as he walked into Ordon Woods. Ilia tended to bring Epona to the spring there after all. He walked slowly, not in any mood to hurry, and listened to the birds sing. Ordon Woods was calm – nothing like Faron Woods just across the gorge. The only animals that frequented the woods were birds and squirrels. There was an occasional spider and sometimes the monkeys came over but apart from that it was tame. As he turned to walk into the spring, he could see both Epona and Ilia. The girl was petting the horse much like she used to when Epona was just a pony.

When the blond walked through the open gates set up by the spring, Ilia turned to look at him. "Oh, Link," she said. Her attitude towards him had improved some over the years but she had developed this rather annoying tendency to try and flit with him – especially when her father wasn't around.

"Good evening, Ilia," Link said.

"I washed Epona for you!" the girl said proudly.

"Oh, O.K." Link said while thinking, _'That was unnecessary. It isn't like I didn't do that already. Granddad would kill me if I didn't take care of her properly.'_ He walked up to Epona and stroked her neck. "Come on girl. Fado wants our help with the goats," he said. He turned to Ilia. "I'll take care of her afterwards," he told her.

"Yeah, O.K. just remember that Epona is a girl, so you have to treat her nice like one!" Ilia said.

Link internally rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. He started walking towards the gate when Ilia said, "Oh, but listen, Link." He turned around to face her. "Could you do something for me?" she asked.

"Depends on what it is. Fado needs our help," Link answered.

"Can you use a piece of grass to play that song for me? You know the one that Epona likes. I tried earlier but I'm not as good at it as you," she asked.

This time Link did roll his eyes, but he answered, "Sure why not." It would be so much easier than saying no and have to deal with a grumpy Ilia. He reached down and pulled a piece of Horse Grass from its stem. The plant was called 'Horse Grass' because it looked like a horse shoe. He placed the grass to his lips and blew through it creating Epona's song. It was nowhere near as beautiful as if he'd played it on his guitar, but he didn't play the instrument in front of the Ordonians.

The guitar had been one of the gifts he'd received on his fourteenth birthday. His Grandfathers had given it to him because he'd shown proficiency in musical magic. Harry had charmed the instrument to act as a pendant for a chain that he had hanging around his neck when he wasn't using it.

"It's pretty… Epona really seems to like it. Well she's all prettied up now so I suppose you can take her. But don't you make her do too much O.K." Ilia said.

Link smiled at the girl while thinking, _'She's a horse she needs to work. If you had your way she'd turn fat and sick.' _He looked back at Epona. "Let's go girl," he said. "See you tomorrow, Ilia," he called back to the girl. He then led the mare back to his house so he could saddle her for the second time that day. "Let's get this over with so we can sleep, right girl?" he said. He grabbed the saddle horn and placed his left foot in the stirrup before pulling himself up.

Helping Fado wasn't too difficult so Link and Epona were back at the house soon enough. The Hylian took the harness and saddle back off before grabbing the dandy brush. He brushed her slowly; the motion was soothing for him as well. She hadn't gotten sweaty so there was no need to wash her off. He gave her an apple and checked so she had enough water before heading back up to his warm and comfy bed.

* * *

"Hey wake up Link! It's morning already!"

Link sat up groggily. What was it with shouting to wake him up? He looked out through the window. Beth, Talo and Malo were standing outside. He sighed. "Why me?" he groaned. "I'm up!" he called out loud. Then he stood up and picked his pants up. _'Now where is the rest?'_ he thought and looked out over the railing that made certain he didn't kill himself should he fall out of bed. His clothes where lying scattered all over the floor of his house. He grabbed the railing and jumped over it rather than going down by the ladders. He picked his shirt up and put it on before grabbing his belt with the expandable pouch that his mother had made for him. He fastened the orange sash over the greyish-blue waistcloth he usually wore. He pushed the door open while pulling the shoulder-long strands of his hair into a ponytail. He jumped down next to the kids and turned towards them.

"Oh, Link! Didja hear?" Talo said excitedly.

"Hear what Talo?" Link asked he ran a hand through the lose part of his hair. It was cut in layers so only the longer parts of the hair could be put up.

"They're selling a slingshot at the store right now! A SLINGSHOT!" the brunet ten-year-old exclaimed.

"I wonder how powerful it is… I… I need… I must try it…" his brother, Malo, mumbled next to him.

Link smiled at the excited kids. _'Did they wake me up because of a stupid slingshot?' _he wondered irritably. He looked up at Beth, who was standing behind the boys as she said, "Talo if you and Malo want it so badly, just buy it from my parents' shop!" She moved a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Link closed his eyes. _'They woke me up because of a slingshot… Why me…?' _he thought as the kids started squabbling. . He watched them argue about the silly toy for a while before his patience thinned enough that he was ready to shout at them to shut up. The kids were saved by the fact that Colin was standing by Epona, petting the horse's muzzle. The blond teen looked down at the immature brats. Deciding that they wouldn't miss him, he walked over to the blond boy slowly. "Hey Colin," he said gently.

The boy turned around startled. He blinked once and a faint smile spread over his lips as he recognised the one who spoke to him. "Hi, Link," he said. "You have the day off work today, right?" He had calmed down and started petting Epona again with one hand.

Link smiled. "Yeah, I do," he said.

Colin bit his lip and twisted the fingers of the hand that wasn't petting Epona into his shirt. "So…" he said. "I finished the fishing rod I was making. Link, I figured I'd give it to you the first thing in the morning, but… my dad said, 'You just wait until Link comes to get it!' So I didn't bring it to you…" he said, his gaze downcast.

Link reached out and ruffled the boy's blond hair. "That is fine. I can come by later and pick it up," he said.

Colin perked right up. He looked up at Epona. "It's also the first day off in a while for Epona, right? She must be happy," he said.

"I'm sure she is Colin, and if you give her an apple or two she'll be even happier," Link said as he reached out to pet the horse. He moved and pulled an apple out from a stash he had hidden from her giving it to Colin.

The little blond smiled brightly at him. "Thanks Link," he said. He held the juicy fruit out for the mare, and as she ate, he seemed to remember something. "Link," he said to catch the older blonde's attention. "My mom has the fishing rod I made for you. Aww, I wish I'd brought it with me…" he said.

Link smiled and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's fine, Colin. I can go see Uli right now. Why don't you continue to keep Epona here company?" he said.

Colin smiled shyly. "O.K. Link," he said.

The older blond chuckled. He stroked Epona's muzzle. "Colin will stay with you girl that is fine, right?" he asked.

She snorted and buffed her nose against the boy's palm.

Link laughed richly. "Thought so," he said softly. He moved away from the mare and the young blond. Passing the other kids, he did his best to tune them out as he made his way down to the main part of the village. He bid good morning to Hanch, who was staring up at a beehive, and Jaggle, who was being his usually lazy self. He spotted Uli standing by the stream that went through the village with a laundry basket under one arm and the other hand on top of her pregnant belly. "Good morning Uli," he said as he walked up to her.

She turned to him and smiled. "Oh, um, good morning to you. If you are looking for my husband, he took his sword and left early this morning," she said. "But I must ask…" she looked saddened.

"What is it Uli?" Link asked concerned.

"You have not seen a cradle come floating by here, have you? It is a baby's cradle made of finely woven tree bark," she said.

Link's brows furrowed in concentration. "No, I'm sorry I haven't seen it," he said.

Uli sighed and turned towards the stream. "Oh, such a misfortune… How far could it have drifted, I wonder…" she said.

Link moved closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll go look for it O.K." he said.

Uli turned to him. "Oh thank you, Link. I made that cradle when Colin was born, and I have cherished it all these years," she said before turning back to the water mumbling, "Just where could it have floated off to, I wonder," to herself.

…

Link eventually found the cradle. It turned out that a monkey had stolen it. He retrieved it and made his way back to the blond woman. She was really happy to get it back. She'd asked him to carry it back to the house and then she'd given him the fishing rod her son had made for him.

The blond spent a few hours helping others around the village including the shop owner, Sera. Her cat had disappeared, and Link finally managed to convince the feline to return home after he'd caught a fish for it with his new fishing rod. Afterwards Sera had given him a bottle with some milk in it to thank him. Link had pulled up his rupee pouch and bought the slingshot the kids had been arguing about earlier. He figured he could teach Colin how to use it. Just because the blond hadn't said anything about it didn't mean he wasn't interested. He just tended to be less annoying about things.

When Link was walking back up to his house, he ran into Rusl.

"Ah, just in time, Link," the man said when he got closer. "I just delivered something to your house!"

"Oh, Okay," Link said surprised.

"Well I should keep going. Uli might need help with something. You have a good one…" Rusl said as he continued down towards the main part of the village.

The blond shook his head. Sometimes Rusl was just so abrupt. He walked up to his ladder ignoring the kids for now and narrowed his eyes at the big red spider sitting there. It wasn't the first time it happened, but normally the glade in front of his house wasn't full of children so he could use his elemental magic to deal with them. He muttered under his breath and glared at the eight-legged creature. He guessed he'd have to use the stupid slingshot he'd bought. He placed a pebble from the pouch that had come with the slingshot in the little cup in the middle of the string. He pulled the string back.

Thump!

The spider fell off the ladder and as it landed on the ground it exploded in a dark cloud of smoke – something which still freaked the blond out. Back on Earth things that died did not become clouds of smoke, they left bodies behind. Sometimes he wondered what happened to humans when they died. Did they turn into smoke too?

Link climbed up the now spider-free ladder and walked in to his house. On the table lay his wooden sword. _'Rusl must've taken it earlier,'_ he thought. He walked up to the table and picked the blade up. It felt better in his hand now. Rusl had fixed it for him, he realised.

…

It was about midday.

Link had been showing the kids how to use the slingshot as well as some basic moves with a sword when a monkey had showed up. The kids had taken off after the primate like crazy, shouting at it as they ran. He sighed heavily and started walking. He guessed he'd have to get them back to the village before someone got hurt.

Beth was standing not too far into Ordon Woods. She turned towards the blond as he walked up to her. "Talo and Malo went chasing like crazy people after that monkey. I can't keep up with those two," she said.

Link shook his head. They boys knew that Faron Woods weren't safe. What were they doing just running off like that? He picked up his speed as he continued down the path. He caught up with Malo just outside Ordon Spring. The small boy looked up at him and pointed over the bridge. "They went that way," he said. "The rest is up to you, Link…"

_'__Idiot child running into Faron Woods by himself,'_ Link thought. He told Malo to grab Beth and go back to the village before he started running once more, following Talo.

Rusl had locked the gate that stood just before Faron Spring. Link narrowed his eyes at it as he ran but he didn't slow down. As he came up to the gate, he grabbed it and jumped over, landing with both feet firmly on the other side. He kept running until a Deku baba showed up blocking his path. He sneered at the flesh-eating plant and pulled his wooden-sword from hid belt. He cut the foul plant down with one swift strike.

In the cave opening behind the Deku baba, Talo's wooden play-sword was lying. Link bent down and picked it up. He stuck it down the back of his belt and walked into the darkness of the cave.

There were keese and rats in there together with some more Deku babas, but they didn't put up much of any resistance as Link cut them down with his wooden blade. He raised his right had higher so that the flame he held could illuminate the path before him. There was another spider web covering the path. It was torn in a bottom corner as if someone small had tried to get through. The blond extended his hand and watched as the web burned. He wasn't too interested in meeting the spider that created those webs.

The woods beyond the cave were filled with fog. There were even more Deku babas and some bokoblins hidden in the mist. The blond cut them down easily. He rammed his sword straight through the head of a Deku baba and squinted. There was a closed gate not too far ahead of him. As he got closer, he saw that it was guarded by two bokoblins. He rolled his sword in one hand and conjured a new flame in the other. He moved forward quickly, grabbing one of the bokoblin's head with his flaming hand while aiming his blade at the other's throat. They were dead within seconds.

On the other side of the gate there was a throaty cry.

Link looked over. The gate was locked and he could see another of the strangely purple-skinned monsters over there. He walked forward the flames in his hand brightened just before he sent a ball of fire off at the monster. The puff of smoke smelled burnt.

Link studied the gate for a moment before he simply climbed up and pulled himself over it. He started walking again when he realised that he'd be bringing Talo back with him, and he had no idea what condition the boy would be in. He moved back to the gate and placed his hands on the wood around the metal that held the lock. He gathered the water in the moist air around him and forced it into the wood. When he deemed it wet enough he heated it a bit. By the time he came back the wood would be rotting and shouldn't be too difficult to break.

He killed two more bokoblins.

A strange stall was set up just up ahead. A blue bird sat in there next to two big cauldrons of potion. He walked up to the sign. It said:

TRILL'S SHOP

Make payment near the shopkeeper.

That had been interesting – learning to read that was. The language they spoke in Ordon was Hylian but the written language was nothing like what Link had learned. It meant that Uli pretty much had to teach him how to read after he had settled down in the village. Ilia had found it funny and sometimes he wished he could just give her something with a couple of Hylian runes carved into it. It would serve her right.

He entered the small shop but didn't get further than that. The blue bird started flapping its wings violently. "GRRRARRR! FWEEEEEEEEEEET! Hey! Punish the evildoers!" it squawked and attacked him.

The blond stepped back and the bird stopped attacking him. He raised an eyebrow at the feather-ball. He turned as he heard a rustling sound behind him. It was another bokoblin. He killed it swiftly, and as the monster turned to smoke, he heard the bird saying, "…Huh? Hey! The evildoers are all gone?" He walked back over to it, his guard still up.

"Wait, are you… a customer" the bird asked.

"Yeah I guess so," Link answered.

The bird started flapping its wings again. "Oh! Hey! Sorry! So sorry! Please forgive me!" it said.

"O…K…" Link said still not quite sure how to deal with a talking bird. He eyed the blue feathered thing as he started walking once more. He still needed to find Talo.

The grass clad ground he'd been walking on changed as he stepped out on what looked to be a gigantic hollowed out tree root. He followed it up as it twisted and turned. When he reached the top, he could see Talo and the monkey the boy had been chasing locked up in a small cage. There were two bokoblins guarding them.

Link sprinted forward and took the first monster out by slamming the pommel of his sword into its head crushing its skull. "It's O.K. Talo I'm here," he told the scared boy softly. Then he moved forward, caught the second bokoblin's club with his sword and delivered a kick to its throat. The monster stumbled back and disappeared in a puff of dark smoke. He breathed in deeply before turning towards the cage.

Talo had curled up in a ball. He was mumbling and muttering incoherently. Link touched the branches that held the cage together. He placed a hand on top of the cage and kicked at one of the branches.

Crack

It broke. He did this to two more branches before the entire construction fell apart. Talo threw himself at the blond and buried his face in the blue waist cloth he was wearing.

Link patted the boy's head until the brunet pulled back. "Its O.K. bud you don't need to be afraid anymore," he said softly.

Talo wiped his teary eyes and put on a brave face. He couldn't let the other kids see that he'd cried. He placed his hand in Link's bigger one and followed the blond down towards the village in silence.

They had passed the cave – and Link was glad that he'd lit the torches on his way up – when Talo stopped and said, "If you hadn't come, Link… Gee, me and that monkey would've gotten eaten, probably! She is actually a pretty nice gal that monkey… She tried to protect me, so we got captured together." Then he looked a bit worried. "Um, Link…" he said. "You're not gonna mention this to my dad, are you?"

Link sighed. He really should tell Jaggle.

"He's always telling me to never, EVER go into the forest, 'cause he says it's dangerous… So you really can't tell him! Really! You have to promise!" Talo said before running off.

Link rolled his eyes. He was so goin…

"Link!"

_'__Or maybe that won't be necessary,'_ he thought as he turned to face Rusl. "Hey Rusl," he said.

The man walked up to him. "My son told me Talo disappeared into the woods and had not returned. I came as soon as I heard. But it looks like you have brought him home already," he said. He reached out and squeezed Link's shoulder. "I apologize," he said. "Such a task should not fall to you."

The blond shrugged. "I don't mind helping out, you know Rusl. And it wasn't too bad," he said.

Rusl chuckled. Then he turned towards the cave, crossed his arms and said, "Tell me, have you noticed how strange this wood seems lately? I feel…uneasy about what may lie in wait…" he quieted down for a moment and then he said, "Anyway, Link tomorrow is finally the day. You will be departing for Hyrule. I think it is a good thing I have given this task to you. If you are lucky, you might even get to meet Princess Zelda!" And then he laughed.

Link rolled his eyes. He didn't particularly care for the Princess even if it wasn't the same as the one the Hero of Time had needed to deal with.

He fell in line next to the older man and they walked back to Ordon Village slowly.


	4. First Twilight

**First Twilight**

Link sat in the soft grass on the ranch watching the goats grace. He was going to travel away from Ordon for the first time since he had arrived in Hyrule. He was a bit scared but mostly he was excited. He couldn't wait to leave.

"Hey, Link!" Fado yelled as he came running over to where the blond was sitting. "So, almost time for you to get goin' huh?" he said as Link stood up.

The blond nodded. "Yeah, it is," he said.

"So how about we finish up early today, bud?" Fado asked.

"Sure," Link answered. He jogged over to Epona and sat up. "Come on girl let's get these idiot goats back into the stable," he said.

Epona snorted.

They herded the goats in, and then Link steered Epona towards the closed gate. She jumped over it before trotting down to the mayor's house where both Ilia and her father were waiting for them. Ilia ran up to them. Link wanted to groan. She didn't know when to stop. He did his best to ignore her as she fell in line with Epona. He looked up at the mayor as they came closer to the man. The bald man smiled at them. "Oh, done for the day, Link?" he asked.

"Yes I am. Fado decided we might as well close up early today," the blond said.

Bo chuckled. "Well, nice work," he said and beaconed for the blond to come over to him.

Link sat off, and as he came close enough, Bo placed his arm over his shoulders. "The royal gift Rusl told you about is ready, so you should get ready for your trip to Hyrule Castle," the man told him. "Now, the royal family requested this gift specifically, so it's real special. It'd be…bad…if the representative of Ordon were to be late for such an occasion, you get me, lad?"

"Sure I got it Mayor, don't worry about it," Link said. He turned back towards Epona just in time to hear Ilia say, "The path before you is a long one, my sweet horse… but please bear Link safely along it." She was petting Epona as she spoke.

Then she bent down. "Wait… What is this?" she asked herself. She turned towards Link. "What's happened? She's injured, isn't she?" she said accusingly.

The blond blinked in surprise. _'When the hell did Epona get hurt?'_ he wondered. He looked up at the mare only to flinch back as Ilia invaded his personal space. "Link! How could you! You were pushing Epona too hard again! I bet you hurt her leg jumping fences, didn't you!" she said angrily.

Link just about managed to make certain he didn't punch her. He somehow doubted her father would like that. He had absolutely no clue how the brown mare had gotten hurt. He'd figure it out, though, and he doubted it had anything to do with fences since he hadn't been jumping them. He was going over everything that had happened during the day when Ilia yelled at her father. The blond looked up at them.

"How can you be so easy on him? You're the MAYOR! You should start acting like one!" Ilia told her father and the man hung his head. He didn't like it when his daughter got angry with him.

Link had moved over to Epona during Ilia's rant and was currently studying the wound she had. "Now how did you get this, girl?" he asked softly. He placed his hand over the wound and pushed some of his healing magic in to it. The wound would heal much faster now. He looked back up at Ilia and her father when the girl came over and grabbed Epona's rains. "Oh, you poor thing," she said. "It'll be all right, Epona. I'll take you to the forest spring right now."

Link rolled his eyes, quite annoyed with the girl, and sighed. He stood back up, ignoring whatever else the girl said.

"W-Wait! Ilia!" Bo called after his daughter. "Why, without Epona… The gift won't get delivered in time!" he said.

Link snorted. _'Like Ilia cares about that,' _he thought.

Bo turned to him and said, "Oh, this won't do… There's no way you'll be able to deliver our town's gift without Epona…"

"HEY! SOMEBODY! STOP THAT GOAT!"

Link turned. He moved his feet apart and waited for the runaway goat to come to him. All the while thinking, _'How on Earth did it get out of the stables and through the damn gate?' _He caught the goat by the horns and used its own speed as momentum to throw it on its side.

"Thanks," Fado said as he tried to catch his breath. He'd been running down after the goat incapable of catching up with it. "I'll just take her back up shall I." He grabbed the goat by the horn and started walking back up to the ranch.

Bo shook his head in dismay. He turned to Link. "Well… You better get goin' and figure out what you're gonna do about Epona. Maybe you can head up to where Ilia is and see if she won't give the horse back," he said.

"Yeah, sure, I'll do that," Link said. His thoughts on the other hand were going more along the lines of how long it would take the girl to wake up if he knocked her out as he was walking up to his house. He opened the door and walked inside leaving it open. He went through the things he thought he might need on the trip and placed them in his never-ending-pouch. He placed the pouch on the kitchen table and walked back outside. He'd come back for it once he'd retrieved Epona.

When the blond got back outside Colin came walking up to him. "….. Link are you going to see Ilia?" he asked carefully.

Link sighed. "Yeah, I have to get Epona back," he said.

Colin looked towards the exit to Ordon Woods. "Maybe it's just me…" he said, and Link followed the boy's gaze. "But those guys don't normally let people through…"

_'Not that they can stop me if I actually decided I've had enough off them,'_ Link thought as he studied Talo and Malo.

"Um, Link, you think…" Colin said bringing the blond out of his thoughts. "You think we can go to see Ilia together?"

Link blinked in surprise, but then he smiled at the boy. "Of course we can Colin," he said. He really shouldn't have been surprised by the boy's request. The little blond moved closer to him and grabbed his hand shyly. He gave a light squeeze and they walked over to the other two boys. "Hey, we've been waiting for you, y'know, Link," Talo exclaimed as they got closer. "Yesterday was soooo much fun! Yeah, chasing after that monkey was great!" Malo said.

Link rolled his eyes at them. _'Really boys haven't you gotten yourselves into enough trouble already?'_ he thought.

Talo placed his hands on his hips confidently. "I was just telling Malo here about how we wanted to show it to him, but we let it go instead!" he said.

"Oh, YOU didn't get caught, Talo?" Colin said. He clutched Link's hand tighter, a bit nervous.

_'Go Colin,'_ Link thought with a smile. They boy was so right.

"Oh! Colin!" Talo said in surprise, as if he hadn't even seen the blond boy until then. He crossed his arms and said, "Way to spoil everything by telling your dad. Nice job."

"Yeah, thanks a lot! We got scolded by our dad something awful. I thought it was never gonna end…" Malo said.

Link closed his eyes and wondered if he should just tell the boys to shut up.

"I bet you're trying to go see Ilia, aren't you? Well, there's no way I'm gonna let you pass!" Talo told Colin rudely.

"Lat off Colin, Talo," Link said. "How about we make a deal, you let us pass and I'll do something for you?"

Talo turned to him. "Okay, neat! Link! Lemme borrow that wooden sword! If I'd had that wooden sword yesterday, I could've handled it all alone, definitely! C'mon! Let me borrow that sword right now!" he demanded.

Link rolled his eyes, but since he doubted he'd need the sword to get Epona back, he agreed to the request. He grabbed the blade form his back and gave it to Talo.

"Whoa! YESSS!" Talo exclaimed as he swung the too long blade around. He turned to Malo. "With this thing… I'll show 'em!" he shouted before the two brunets ran off.

"Link," Colin said, and the blond turned to him. "Thanks… Those guys are always teasing me…"

Link kneeled down and placed a hand on the blond boy's shoulder. "Don't pay any attention to those idiots, Colin. You did the right thing yesterday," he said and Colin smiled shyly at him. "As a matter of fact, if you hadn't told your father I would have spoken to Jaggle myself."

Colin looked relived as he nodded. Then he looked over to the brunets. "What's so fun about swinging something like that around, anyway! I hate it… It's scary…" he said. He turned back to Link. "But when I grow up, I'm gonna be just like you, Link!"

"I certainly hope not, Colin," Link said smiling. "One of me is more than enough – you should be you." He poked the boy gently.

Colin giggled. Be bit his lip and thought about what Link had said. "In that case I don't want to learn about swords or anything, but could you teach me how to ride a horse sometime?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," Link said with a chuckle.

Colin lit up. "Can you?!" You have to promise"

Link smiled and nodded, but he did not promise. He would if he got the opportunity… but you never could tell what the future would bring. Colin didn't seem to mind though. The boy smiled at him and ran off into Ordon Woods. He followed the boy at a more sedated pace. A squirrel ran over his path, and he slowed down so he wouldn't startle the small fury animal. When he reached Ordon Spring, the gate was closed. He placed a hand on the wood of the gate. Both Colin and Ilia were standing on the other side with Epona. The young blond turned around. "Link!" he exclaimed.

The boy's voice had Ilia turn around and look at the gate. "If you came to take Epona back, you can FORGET IT!" she said angrily as she noticed Link.

The blond closed his eyes, took a deep breath and got a good grip on his magic. That girl was really starting to get on his nerves. He opened his eyes again, looked up at the gate and then he backed up a few steps. First Ilia and then Colin said something but he wasn't listening as he dashed forward and climbed over the gate. He landed heavily on the other side before walking up to Ilia. He grabbed Epona's reins and said, "You're not the only one that cares about Epona, Ilia. And Epona is my horse. How many times do I have to tell you that I know how to care for her?!"

Ilia took a step back in shock. She tried to say something but…

The sound of hooves against the ground interrupted her.

Link turned around but it was too late – everything happened so fast he couldn't do anything and then he blacked out.

…

When the blond woke up, Ilia and Colin and Epona were all gone. He placed a hand on the back of his head as he sat up. "Ouch," he gasped. He stood up slowly, wondering where on Earth the Bulblins had come from. He stumbled forward slightly and grimaced at his wet clothes. Then it hit him. If the others weren't there with him anymore then the Bulblins must have taken them. He sprinted out from the spring and over the bridge only to stop dead once he'd reached the other side. There was a strange black and golden wall just before Faron Woods. _'What the hell is thins?'_ he wondered. He stepped closer examining the strange wall. He touched it only to realise that it wasn't solid. He took a step back and narrowed his eyes at the thing. He contemplated walking through it when the decision was taken out of his hands.

A long black arm shot out off the strange wall and a big clammy hand grabbed the blond tightly. It pulled him through before he had a chance to even react and do something about it. Pain went through his body. He tried to take a breath but the air made his lungs burn. He couldn't focus; everything was just a big black blur. Then there was light and he could feel himself hitting the ground. His skin crawled. His insides hurt. He felt his body twist and his skin burn before it all got to be too much and he passed out.

* * *

The first sense that came back to the blond was scent. It smelled damp and something somewhere was rotting. There was another scent – almost like mould but stronger. He opened his eyes slowly. There were bars in front of him. The walls were built out of gray bricks. In a corner there was some damp hay.

Link stood up slowly only to realise that he was standing on four legs. He looked down at himself. Tousled sand-coloured fur led down to big paws. He had seen his Granddad, Link, transform into his wolf-form many times and the paws holding him up looked just like his. _'I'm a wolf,'_ he thought. He went over his body slowly and made sure everything was as it should be. The more he saw of himself, the more certain he became that he looked like his Granddad. As he moved his front legs, he could even see a hint of gold which meant that he – just like his grandfathers – was some kind of mix between an Earth wolf and a Hylian wolfos. When he examined himself, he couldn't help but notice that there was a chain and cuff attached to his left front leg. He narrowed his eyes at the thing. _'Now,_ _if I could just access my elemental magic, I could destroy this annoying thing,'_ he thought. He knew that Harry could use his elemental abilities even as a wolf so he knew it was possible.

After trying and failing to destroy the chain for several minutes that felt more like hours, Link growled at the thing before lashing out trying to pull it off. He growled again and placed his paws on the chain before biting into it. Then his ears twitched – something or rather someone was coming. He turned his head and bared his fangs. What he saw was not what he expected though.

The creature was small, about the size of Malo, but the head was much bigger than a humans. The skin was black and white with strange jade markings that reminded Link of Zant, his grandpa's snake familiar. The imp had strange orange on yellow eyes that darkened towards the pupil. The hair looked equally strange and frankly didn't look like hair at all. It looked more like pure energy that was kept in hair form. "I found you!" she said after she had somehow transported herself into the cell.

Link moved back startled and started growling on instinct.

"Oooh! Aren't you scary!" the little imp said unconcerned. She giggled and said, "Are you sure you want to be doing that? Well, that's too bad… I was planning on helping you… if you were nice."

Link shook himself out of his half daze. He'd let his instinct control him. It was something he'd have to work with and get control over as soon as possible. He moved his head up and his ears forward.

"Eee hee! That's much better! You humans are obedient to a fault, aren't you?" the imp said and moved forward. She – because it had to be a female with that voice and the curves her body had – reached out and said, "Oops! But you AREN'T a human anymore, are you? You're a beast! Eee hee!" as she placed her hand under his chin and bounced his head up and down.

Link reacted on instinct once more and snapped at her. She moved away form him quickly. "There, there. You be a good boy and calm down. No need to bite!" she said.

_'You just wait and I'll do something much worse than bite you imp,'_ Link thought irritably.

The little orange-haired imp raised her hands to chest level and a strange ball of magic formed between her palms. She sent it off towards Link, and the wolf saw it hit the chain that held him prison. The chain broke and he moved his leg away from it. Then the imp was standing right next to him. "You look kind of surprised," she said and giggled. She moved back and as she said, "So I guess you're wondering where exactly we are!" she turned into a strange sort of mist and moved back through the bars. "Well, I'll make you a deal. If you can get over here, maybe I'll tell you!" she said as she landed on the floor outside the cell. She waved him over and yawned.

Link rolled his eyes. _'Piss off,'_ he thought but he started looking for a way out anyway. He had no wish to stay in there after all. He noticed a pile of broken wooden boxes in a corner of the cell. He stepped over to them and sniffed. Then he snorted because of the dust. He moved back and then he moved forward, bashing into the boxes, making them scatter. The ground where the boxes had stood was soft. He walked forward and dug his claws into the sand before letting his instincts guide him. He dug his way to the other side and looked around. The imp was gone.

There was the whisper of a laughter in the air. The wolf looked around trying to locate it when a weight settled down on his back. He buckled violently but the weight stayed put. "Hmph! I guess you're not completely stupid after all!" the imp said.

Link stopped mid-buckle and narrowed his eyes. _'Oh, for Din's sake,'_ he thought annoyed. _'Am I going to have to carry this stupid imp around now?'_

The imp leaned forward. "Listen, I like you, so I think I'll get you out of here," she said. "But in exchange for my help, you have to do as I EXACTLY as I say! If you need anything from me just give me a sign!"

_'Not bloody likely that I'll do as YOU say,'_ Link thought. He wished he could just turn back to a human, but he'd been too young to learn animagus transformation so he really had no clue how to do it. He shook his head and took a step forward. He guessed he'd have to put up with the imp for now. He turned his head towards the imp as she said, "So, are we all clear? Good. Now, come on! Get moving!" She kicked his sides.

Link wanted to snap at her again but he didn't. Resigned to his fate –for now– he started looking around. He was still trying to get a feel for his canine body and took to wander as he studied the walls. He was glad that he'd somehow kept his colour-vision after transforming. He took another few steps as he was slowly getting used to the weight on his back. In the cell next to the one he'd been locked up in, there was a set of bars that looked like they could be removed if he could just find the switch. "Huh? What's that?" he heard the imp say. He looked up. There was a strange chain hanging from the ceiling. He took a step back before rushing forward and grabbing the chain with his jaws.

The gate opened.

_'Who builds in an escape route in a prison cell and leaves the opening mechanism in the damn cell?'_ the blond wondered. He walked through the tunnel that had been revealed, slowly. Who knew there might be guards on the other side.

They came to the end of the tunnel and Link looked around. There were no guards, but there was a strange flickering jade flame hanging suspended in mid air. He walked up to it carefully, wondering what it was.

"Oh… Well, well…" the imp said as they got closer. She giggled. "Want to see something interesting? You're a beast remember? Hone your senses and poke around!"

_'Hone my senses?'_ Link wondered. He breathed in through his nose, and slowly he slipped into a meditative state. There was so much he didn't know about the wolf he had become, so much he had yet to learn. He somehow doubted he'd be able to turn back and forth at will until he'd learned these things. He found his centre. There was magic there that was completely unknown to him. He focused on the flow of the magic.

Time passed.

Then suddenly green eyes flew open and Link looked around, seeing the world not as a human but as a true wolf. Most colours were gone but other things were much clearer to him now. He wondered briefly if he could manage to learn how to switch back and forth between his human and wolf vision. That's when he noticed the jade flame only it wasn't a flame anymore. It was a man. A guard to be exact and the man was standing there shaking, clinging to his spear for dear life, and muttering scared, "Can't… run… any…farther… That's… far enough… right? I'll be safe here… I think…" Then he started looking around. The shaking had gotten worse. "What was that noise?!" he asked. "Don't… Don't anything come near me!" he begged.

Link stood there wondering if he should feel sorry for the guy or not. He decided he'd wait and see. Big evil monsters could be rather scary after all and he had no idea what was out there. He would, however, keep in mind that Hyrule Castle guards were rather useless.

"That was a soldier's spirit," the imp said. "Maybe it's someone from the other world?" She laughed.

_'The other world?'_ Link wondered. _'What the hell does that mean?'_ He shook his head and started making his way out of what looked to be the sewage system. Judging by the guard's spirit, they probably were somewhere in Hyrule Castle Town if not the castle itself.

…

Link sighed contently. The wind that ruffled through his fur felt nice even though it was a bit cold. He smacked his tongue and wished he could get some clean water to wash out the taste of the dark tentacled monsters and strange keese he'd fought. _'Yuck,'_ he thought. It was definitely the biggest downside to being a wolf. He looked out over what was obviously Hyrule Castle. The imp had led him straight up on the roof. He cast another glance at the strangely orange and black sky. Actually the very air around them seemed strangely orange. The imp had called it twilight. Not like the time of day but rather like it was a natural and constant state. He wondered how that could be. But then again there was nothing normal about the air around him.

They had encountered another spirit and the imp had helpfully informed him that while the spirits could see the monsters they couldn't see him. _'No shit Sherlock,'_ Link had thought. _'I would never have noticed if you hadn't pointed it out.'_ They were heading towards one of the towers as per imp instruction because there was someone she wanted him to meet.

_'A hundred rupees says that it's Princess Zelda,'_ Link thought just before he had to jump back so he wouldn't get thrown of the roof by one of the strange winged monsters that flew around the place. He growled at it. Then he jumped forward, burying his teeth in its throat. The monsters around there didn't turn into smoke like others he'd killed, but rather they turned into this weird mist of black particles – the same kind of strange particles that could be found in the air all around them. _'That's cosy isn't it?'_ Link thought sarcastically. _'We kill the monsters so we can breathe them in.'_ At least they had almost reached the tower by now. The bloody rain that had started falling was getting on his nerves.

Two more strange great bats and then they were finally inside. The imp led Link up a set of stairs to big double doors. _'Because you need double doors in a tower,'_ he thought as he pushed one of them open. The room they entered was barren. There was a bed, a desk and a single chair. Tattered banners hung on one wall and there was a fireplace. _'Now this looks like a prison for someone important,' _the blond thought. By the big ornate windows a cloaked figure stood, looking outside. Link moved forward slowly every step taking him closer to the figure. The back of the cloak bore the crying eye of the Sheikah. The person turned around to face them. "Midna…?" a feminine voice said.

The imp laughed. "You remembered my name? What an honour for me…" she said.

Link got the feeling that the imp wasn't to fond of the woman in front of them. He looked from one to the other.

"So this is the one for whom you were searching," the woman in the cloak said.

"He's not exactly what I had in mind, but…" Midna said. "I guess he'll do."

Link rolled his eyes. If he could speak, he'd give these two females a piece of his mind that's for sure.

The woman kneeled down. "…You were imprisoned?" she asked concerned as she noticed the cuff on his leg. "I am sorry."

"Poor thing, he has no idea where this is or what's happened…"

_'Hey, wait a minute. I know perfectly well were we are,'_ Link thought. _'Though, I wouldn't mind finding out what the heck's happened. I guess.'_ He looked up at the person he knew perfectly well was Zelda. Her attitude fit after all. He listened as the imp said, "So, don't you think you should explain to him what you've managed to do? You owe him that much… Twilight Princess!" She chuckled like that was supposed to mean something.

Zelda, or what Link could see of her, looked downcast. She took a deep steadying breath. "Listen carefully," she said. "This was once the land where the power of the gods was said to slumber. This was once the kingdom of Hyrule. But that blessed kingdom has been transformed by the king that rules the twilight…" She proceeded to tell him of how the king and his army of monsters had infiltrated the very castle. How she had been forced to choose between giving up her throne, allowing her people to live, or choose to fight not knowing how many would survive or if she herself would even make it past the hour. In the end she had chosen to surrender. And the king had bathed her kingdom in twilight, turning her people into spirits. "Within the twilight, they live on, unaware that they have passed into spirit forms… All the people know now is fear… fear of a nameless evil," she said and pulled her hood down. She had long brown hair and bluish-gray eyes. She was rather good-looking with her royal features. But Link just had to wonder why she didn't take the blasted crown off. It had to be uncomfortable.

"You don't have to look so sad!" Midna said. "We actually find it to be quite livable! I mean is perpetual twilight really all that bad?"

_'Eh, yeah, for humans,'_ Link thought. He wondered for a moment why he hadn't turned into a spirit but figured that with the way things were going he'd find out soon enough. In the mean time Zelda said, "Midna… This is no the time for levity. The shadow beasts have been searching far and wide for you. Why is this?"

Link could feel the weight of the imp leave his back. He backed up slightly and looked up at her. She looked thoughtful and was taping her side with her fingers. "Why indeed? You tell me!" she said with a laugh, her hands in the air as if asking a question all on their own.

Zelda shook her head and sighed. Then she looked down at the wolf. "Time has grown short. The guard will soon make his rounds," she said. The weight settled back on top of the wolf as Zelda said, "You must leave here, quickly."

Link cast her one last glance before he ran back out of the room. He spotted the window he and Midna had arrived through and jumped up just as he could hear the door at the bottom of the tower open. He shuddered before walking back out in the pouring rain. Midna left his back once more and sort of hovered on ahead like gravity didn't matter to her. He followed her grimacing as he felt his fur getting all wet.

"Well? Do you understand where we are now" Midna asked.

_'I've known that pretty much from the damn start, now get to the fucking point,'_ Link thought annoyed.

"I guess a promise is a promise so I'll let you go back to where you first tumbled into twilight…" the imp said.

_'Sounds good, not that I remember you promising anything like that,'_ Link thought. He really wanted to get out of the cold rain.

"But are you really sure you should be going back? Are you sure you aren't forgetting something important?" she asked and then she turned into first Ilia and then Colin.

Link rolled his eyes. Of course he hadn't forgotten about them, but there was very little he could do from atop of Hyrule Castle wasn't there. He'd get to finding them when he'd gotten his bearings back… and preferably some more control.

Midna laughed. "Do you want to save them?" she asked. Link gave her a curt nod and she said, "Well, in that case, little Midna would be happy to help you." She smirked. "But," she said, "well, you'd have to be my servant… and like a servant, you'd have to do exactly as I say! Why don't you go back, take a little time, and give it some thought." She giggled and then the blond could feel a most unpleasant sensation –almost like he was being picked apart– before he disappeared from the roof. Everything was black for a moment before he appeared in Ordon Spring. He shook the rainwater he'd accumulated out of his fur only to realise that Midna was nowhere to be seen.

Then her voice floated through the air. "Oh, that's right. I forgot to mention one thing… Though you may have left the darkened realm, you haven't transformed back to your former self… and you won't anytime soon. Now why could that be?" she said and giggled. "See you later!"

Link huffed. He had during the search for Zelda remembered a book he'd once read that had spoken of how one preformed the animagus transformation. So he technically knew how to transform back, he just couldn't do it yet. _'So should I go with her offer or should I focus on learning how to turn back?' _he wondered.

* * *

Gaining a sword and shield hadn't been hard even in wolf-form. Link had let out a wolfish snort when Midna told him he wouldn't be able to return to the twilight realm without her help. He actually had a feeling that he could walk straight through the barrier but, Hey! The most interesting discovery he'd made so far was that he was capable of speaking to animals in his wolf-form. According to the squirrel that told him, all animals understood each other. _'Not back on Earth they don't,'_ he'd thought.

Then there was Ordona, who had told him of how twilight had fallen upon Hyrule. Ordona was a spirit of light and there were three more of them. All but Ordona had had their light stolen from them by shadow beings. Ordona had told him that he was the one to revive the light spirits and he was the only one who could do it. He'd also learned that if he returned light to Faron Province he might turn back to human.

So, here he was back in the twilight realm. He was standing before Faron Spring. There was a faint cloud of light hanging in the air before him. He walked closer to it and a voice could be heard. It was faint almost like an echo. "…Please… be careful… These woods…have changed… The dark clouds of dusk cover this land… This drape of shadows is called… twilight," it said.

The sand-coloured wolf rolled his eyes. _'How many times are different entities going to tell me that this is twilight? You know I kinda' got it the first time and now it's just repetitive,'_ he thought but he continued listening to the shade of the spirit of light none the less.

"In this twilight, those who live in the light… become mere spirits… It is a place… where the dark ones and evil creatures dwell… I… am a spirit… of… light… Green-eyed beast. Look… for my light… Retrieve the light stolen by the dark beasts… and keep it… in this vessel," the spirit said. A piece of light broke off from the shade of the spirit and turned into a string of beads almost like grapes. Link guessed that every bead was to be filled with a tear of light. Midna reached out from her position on his back and grabbed it.

"In the shadows of twilight… the dark insects are as invisible… as normal beings are her… Remember to use your senses and… find… the insects of darkness… The dark insects… They are the form taken by evil… once it has latched on to…our scattered light," the spirit said before its glow faded.

Link backed away from the cloud of light and looked around. He was glad that he'd figured out how to switch between his wolf and human vision while walking around Ordon Village. He walked out of the water of the spring and focused. His vision changed and the world around him lost colour. He walked towards the deep part of Faron Woods when a spark of lightning appeared in front of him. He could distinguish two shapes in the sparks and as they faded there were two whitish insects crawling over the ground. He dashed forward and closed his jaws over first one and then the other. _'Urgh,'_ he thought and shuddered. _'Tastes awful.'_ From the insects' corpses two balls of glowing blue light appeared and as Link walked up to them, Midna held out the vessel and two of the beads started glowing as the balls disappeared.

Three and four

One more

Seven and eight

And two more

Eleven, twelve and thirteen

Two more

And then another two

Light returned...


	5. Monkey Madness

**Monkey Madness**

When the light faded and Link could see once more, he was standing in front of Faron Spring. The sun was shining brightly and the spring water flowed a beautiful celeste-blue. The blond took a deep breath. The air felt cleaner now that the twilight was gone. Midna appeared before him her body now completely black as if she was a mere shadow, but her visible eye was still the same orange on yellow. "Aww," she said, "but it was so nice here in the twilight… What's so great about a world of light, anyway?" She giggled and with a, "see you later!" she disappeared.

Slowly the water of the spring turned golden. The light was soft but bright and allowed for the blonde's eyes to slowly adapt to it. A large orb of woven light rose from the water just like back in Ordon Spring. The spirit that appeared around the orb looked like a strange cross between a squirrel and a monkey. Its long fluffy tail rose and curled around it. "My name is Faron," the spirit said. "I am one of the spirits of light who dwell in Hyrule. By the order of the gods, I protect this forest."

Link stood there in the clear spring water and wondered if the forest was named after the spirit of the spirit after the forest. He also wondered what connection Farore might have to it. _'Wonder why they keep saying gods and not goddesses?'_ he thought.

"O brave youth… In the realm covered in twilight, where people roam as spirits, you were transformed into a green-eyed beast…" Faron said. "That was a sign… It was a sign that the powers of the chosen one rest within you…and that they are awakening. Look at your awakened form…"

Link blinked in surprise. With everything that was going on, he hadn't noticed that he was once again standing on two legs. He looked down and groaned. He was wearing a green tunic, sturdy leather gloves and boots and with cotton pants. _'At least someone was thinking and gave me chainmail,' _he thought. _'But that stupid floppy cap is going the moment I get back home.'_ He could feel the weight of the sword and shield he had collected earlier on his back, and he wondered for a moment what had happened to the clothes he'd been wearing when he entered the twilight. He was suddenly very glad that he hadn't brought his never-ending-pouch with him when he went to see Ilia.

"The green tunic that is your garb belonged to the ancient hero chosen by the gods…" Faron said.

_'__Eh, sorry but I somehow doubt that because Granddad's outfit did not look like this,'_ Link thought.

"His power is yours. His is the true power that slept within you."

_'__And again, unless you're not talking about the Hero of Time, I highly doubt it since he is still alive. I can't very well have his power when he's still around, now can I? Sure, he's my grandfather so I inherited a few things but I'm more of a mix between him, grandpa and dad if anything,'_ the blond thought. He was starting to wonder if spirits could get their information mixed up over time just like humans could. And then there was the fact that the spirits hadn't been around when the Hero of Time had gallivanted around Hyrule in order to save it.

"Your name is Link. You are the hero chosen by the gods," Faro said.

Link closed his eyes. _'Thanks for stating the obvious,'_ he thought as he was trying desperately to keep himself from bursting out laughing.

"Brave Link… A dark power rests in the temple deep within these woods. It is a forbidden power. Long, long ago, I and the other spirits of light locked it away. Because of its nature, it is a power that should never be touched by any who dwell in the light. But this world weeps beneath a mantle of shadows, and so there is no choice… You must match the power of the king of shadows. If you would seek this forbidden power, then proceed to the temple in the forest depths," Faron said and disappeared in a rain of light. The water returned to its natural blue colour slowly.

Link looked skyward for a moment. He was getting somewhat irritated with the "higher" beings in Hyrule. There was nothing wrong with darkness and they had all pinned their hopes on shadow before – the Sheikah came to mind. He also wished they could decide whether the evil king was the king of shadows or the king of twilight since they were in on way the same thing. Grandpa, Harry, was both a warrior of shadow and wielded dark magic and he was one of the nicest people Link knew. Sure he could be dangerous as hell if you angered him but that didn't happen often. He walked out of the spring fast determined to get rid of the cap and to fetch his pouch. Then he reached up to his neck, worried. His fingers closed around a charm hanging from his neck. It hadn't disappeared. He breathed out in relief.

After taking a few more steps, the blond stopped suddenly as Midna appeared. "Well, well… You're the chosen hero and all that, huh?" she said. "So THAT'S why you turned into that beast. What a shame… I mean, maybe you'd rather just wander as a spirit like the rest of them, totally unaware of what was happening for all eternity…right?"

Link sighed. "Don't think so Midna and I would never have turned out like the rest of them anyway. They are scared of monster I would simply have killed," he said.

"Oh! Eee hee! So… What do you want to do? Do you want to head to that temple?" Midna asked.

"Yeah, I think that's for the best," Link answered.

"Well, isn't that convenient! I was about to head there myself," the imp said.

"Sure, great," Link groaned. He really wasn't interested in bringing the demanding imp along with him.

"Hey, look…" Midna said sharply, picking up on the blonde's tone. "You want to save your friends, right? The way I see it, maybe they're in that temple, waiting for you to rescue them…"

"I somehow doubt that Midna but, I'll deal with the temple anyway," Link said.

"Believe what you will," the imp said. "Well, good luck, Mr Hero!" She laughed and said, "See you later," before disappearing down into the blonde's shadow once more.

Link ran a hand through his shoulder long hair and sighed. He looked up at the sky, trying and failing to locate the sun. The trees were in the way. "Oh, well," he breathed. He still had to go back to Ordon Village anyway. He would need his pouch and what it contained.

As he walked over the bridge, he pulled the sword off his back. He held it out in front off him and studied it. The blade felt good in his hand. He swung it a few times. It had been a long time since he last held a real blade; it felt good.

Dusk was falling as he made his way up to his house. He was tired. He desperately needed some proper sleep. The weapon and shield made a lot of noise as they hit the floor. Clothes went everywhere as he climbed up to his bed. He soon fell into his soft bed fast asleep in seconds.

…

Green eyes blinked open the following morning. They scanned the ceiling as Link stretched. He yawned widely before getting out of bed slowly. He turned slightly and cast a glance out the window. The sun was up and the birds were singing. He spent some time getting into his new clothes which was a hassle with the chainmail and all. He cast a glance at the floppy cap and wondered if it would be Okay if he burned the silly thing. Then he strapped his belt and baldric on. He walked over to the kitchen table and picked his never-ending-pouch up before fastening that to his belt. He pulled the half-empty bottle of milk out and grimaced. _'Sour milk…great.'_ He'd have to clean it out as soon as possible.

There was a slight breeze that ruffled his hair as he stepped out of his house. He pulled a blue ribbon out of his pouch and tied the longer part of his blond hair up in a ponytail as he headed into the village. He was a bit worried about Rusl. The man had been hurt pretty badly when he had travelled through to gather the sword and shield earlier.

The village was strangely quiet. Hanch was standing in Jaggle's usual spot overlooking the waster. Link contemplated walking up to him after he'd checked on Rusl. He headed up to the smith's house, knocked and walked inside.

"Link…!" Uli exclaimed. "Oh… At last a pleasant surprise! You are safe, at least…" she said and looked down at her husband, who was lying on the couch fast asleep. His breathing was raged and he was covered in blood and bandages.

"Yeah, I'm safe but…" Link said with a sigh.

Uli turned back to him. "The silence of this village… Does it not chill you as it does me?" she asked.

"Yes, Uli it does," Link said. He walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "What happened?" he asked.

Uli sighed depressed. "While you were gone, we were set upon by evil creatures… I suppose you have already heard… but the children and poor Ilia… They were taken…" she said. "We were all worried that perhaps you had been taken, as well…"

"That doesn't matter now," Link said and ran his hands down the woman's slim arms. "I'm here now and I'm fine."

Uli took a shuddering breath as she tried to hold her tears back. "Oh, but… I am sorry… As much as I would like to give these tidings to my husband… He has just fallen asleep… But truly it is a fine thing to see you return. I am sure everyone would be pleased to see you if you were to stop in and say hello!" she said.

"I will Uli and don't worry, I'll look for the children. You just make sure to take care of yourself and the little one… And make certain that Rusl doesn't overdo it when he wakes up. Leave it to me, I'll find them," the blond said. He gave her shoulders a last gentle squeeze and walked over to the door. He grabbed the door handle.

"Oh… Link… That sword… The evil creatures stole it from Rusl… but you… You got it back?! How wonderful! I know it is safe in your hands… And you need it now, yes? Please keep using it, Link," Uli said.

The blond turned to her as he opened the door. "Hopefully the next time we meet I will have found the children," he said.

Uli nodded. "Good luck, Link. Please come back safely to us," she said as the young man left.

…

The other grown-ups in the village were happy to see Link of course and they all begged him to find their missing children for them. He couldn't blame them really. He had tried getting in to the Mayor's house, but it was locked. _'Maybe Bo isn't home,'_ he thought. He walked out of the village slowly. He was heading to the Forest Temple.

* * *

Link was studying the purple mist before him. It didn't look any better now then it had done when the woods were filled with twilight. He searched through his pouch for the lantern he'd gotten from the man that had the key to the forest. He'd said that it would come in handy in dark places. The blond hadn't bothered arguing with him. The man didn't need to know that he could cast flames from the palms of his hands. He looked at the small iron lantern for a moment. It was well made but completely unnecessary as far as he was concerned. He lit it up anyway and not seconds later a monkey had appeared and stolen it from him. It was the same monkey that he'd saved: first when he rescued Talo and then again as he killed the last two shadow insects. She had placed the lantern on a stick and was waving it around.

Midna appeared from the blonde's shadow. "You idiot! While you were staring off into …"

Link wasn't listening anymore. The monkey was waving him over, and he had started walking. When het got up to her, the monkey took off into the mist and waved the lantern once more. The mist cleared around her. She beaconed for him once more and the blond followed. He moved up in front off the monkey as a keese showed its ugly mug. Grabbing his blade, Link cut the bat in two before continued after the monkey.

They eventually managed to make their way across the sea of mist and the monkey dropped the lantern before running off.

Link bent down and picked it up. Who knew, he might need it again. He stuffed it into one of the pouches that had come with the tunic he was wearing. He figured that since he wouldn't need it all that often it could go in there.

The sunlight hit the blonde's eyes as he left the thick leafage of the previous area. He blinked rapidly, his ears on high alert. He could hear two bokoblins chattering with each other to his right. He pulled his sword out of its scabbard and rolled it in his hand. He smirked at the bokoblins before driving the blade through the first one's chest. Then he caught the second one's club before cutting its head clear off. He walked past Trill's shop and made his way up the hollowed out root. There were two more bokoblins at the top of the path, but they didn't live much longer than their brethren.

There was a gigantic spider web blocking Link's path. _'What is it with these spiders and building webs in the damn way?_' he wondered. He walked up to the white strings and set the stupid thing on fire. Then he looked up at the sky. The sun was setting, colouring the sky a soft warm orange. _'Time for a nap,'_ he thought as he walked into the darkness of the temple. He killed a few keese and settled down. It was pitch black in there so he would have no problems what so ever to fall asleep.

…

Waking up was a bit nerve-racking for the blond. The area he was in was still as dark as night. He looked around – not that he could see anything. _'I guess now is as good a time as any to check if I can access my wolf-sight in human form,'_ he thought. He focused on his breathing and sank into a meditative state. He found his centre fast enough and managed to locate the string of magic he was after.

Green-eyes opened wide. He was standing in a tunnel. Walking forward slowly, he tried to get used to how the world looked. Soon enough he walked out into a big room with totem poles lining the path and thick vines growing along the right and far wall. He realised that now his human-eyes would serve him better then the wolf ones.

_'__I have to get better at that,'_ Link thought as he could once again see a world of colour. In the closest set of vines two purple and red spiders climbed around. The blond looked up at them for a moment. _'Well, I can't use fire on those 'cause that'll burn the vines too,'_ he thought. He contemplated using the slingshot but decided that he'd rather not. One hand was lifted and held palm towards the skullwalltula. The hand closed to a fist and the spiders were crushed by the very vines they called their home. It wasn't like Link had just let his elemental powers and other abilities fall into dismay during the four years he'd stayed in Ordon. He had practiced loads, just not when others could see him.

After climbing the vines and opening a chest containing a yellow rupee, the blond had cut the local Deku babas to pieces before beheading a bokoblin. It looked like the girl monkey that had helped him through the mist the day before had gotten herself caught again. The cage was easily ripped apart and she climbed up a set of vines before stopping at the top where she started waving for the human to join her.

Midna appeared. "Hey! That's the monkey that stole your lantern! Doesn't it look like she's beaconing you? Aren't you the popular one?" she said and laughed before disappearing once more.

Link rolled his eyes, killed the skullwalltulas and climbed up after the monkey. When he pulled himself up on the ledge, she ran over to a door. "So, you want me to follow you, huh?" he mumbled. He walked up to the door and studied the red symbol on it. _'Looks an awful lot like the Kokiri Emerald,'_ he thought. He grabbed the door and rolled it aside.

The next room was huge. The blond wandered down a set of stairs and through a thick wooden arch when a spider, with a body the size of an Ordon goat, landed in front of him. He swallowed thickly. Did it have to be so big? He baked away slowly and the eight-legged creature followed. He pulled his sword and took a calming breath. Clutching the blade in his hand tighter, he focused on hot, burning, fire and flames started dancing along his sword. He threw himself to the side as the spider attacked and then he cut straight through one of the many legs with the burning blade. The spider screeched with every leg it lost, and Link was soon ramming his sword through its head, ending its miserable life. The monkey followed him as he walked up on what looked to him like some kind of altar. He tilted his head and sighed as he saw the unlit torches. One sat in each corner. Once they all burned orange, a new path opened and the monkey ran on ahead again. He smiled at her.

As he stood by the next door she wanted to go through, he gave the room a second onceover and noticed a chest hanging from the ceiling. His brows furrowed as he walked back towards it and sent off a fireball at the thread that held it up. The chest contained a compass. Link raised an eyebrow at it and pocketed it. He knew it would come in handy after he'd found the map which was located in a chest just left of the door. He placed the compass on the map and they merged. Several little yellow chests showed up and there were some strange red dots too. _'Well, that's practical,'_ he thought. He walked up to the monkey and pushed the next door open.

* * *

Link sighed. _'Was that monkey number four or five?' _he wondered. Ever since a baboon looking monkey had appeared and destroyed the bridge the female monkey wanted him to pass over, he had been releasing monkeys. They were helpful of course and allowed him to reached places he wouldn't have been able to get to otherwise, but they were starting to get on his nerves.

"Fourth, Okay that's good to know," Link mumbled as he made it back to the altar. The monkeys gathered up and then they all beaconed for him to follow them out the door with the broken bridge.

_'__Great,'_ Link thought. _'I'm gonna monkey-swing over a ravine.'_ He took a deep breath and wondered why he was the one that had to do this. Then he jumped out and grabbed the first monkey's hands.

Swing…let go…grab…

Swing…let go…grab…

He was glad when he was standing on firm ground once more. To his left were a set of bridges that turned with the wind, but he couldn't go across them because they were completely out of sync with each other. He shook his head and walked up to the door before him. He knew that the room behind it had no other exit so it was probably a mini-boss room. He opened the door walked it and it rolled back and a set of bars fell down over it. _'Wood really?'_ he thought amused. He turned and looked around the room. It was empty save for a circle of totem poles in the middle.

A shriek sounded through the room and from a hole in the ceiling the baboon-like monkey appeared. The big ugly monkey held up what looked like a boomerang and threw it towards the ceiling.

Two baba serpents landed in front off Link. He pulled his sword. Baba serpents were a more evolved form of Deku babas. They had orange and black heads and a thick blue and purple tongue. Their long sharp teeth were a pain and they could move around even after their stem had been cut off. He slashed twice, and the flesh-eating plants were no more. The first time he'd almost gotten caught in those strong jaws but not now. Now he knew how to deal with them. He moved up towards the poles and the monkey started jumping between them. It would stop once in a while and throw the boomerang either at Link or to cut down more baba serpents from the ceiling.

After quite some time of running around and trying to figure out a way to get the monkey down, the blond growled. He placed his hands against the nearest totem pole. It caught fire and started burring brightly. One by one the poles were set aflame until there were none left and nowhere for the monkey to jump to but the ground.

Link rolled his sword in his hand. He had noticed a strange bug on the monkey's head while he'd been moving around, trying not to get hit earlier. He reached the monkey and stabbed his blade through the measly insect.

The monkey grabbed his head and turned to the human slowly. His eyes widened and then he took off quickly, leaving the room.

Link turned around as a strange swirling sound reached his ears. The boomerang the monkey had been wielding was spinning; creating a whirlwind as it did so. A voice echoed through the room. "I am the fairy of Winds who resides in this boomerang. You have freed me from evil, and now I have my true power back," it said. "Please… Take it with you, use it to aid your quest, and may both my power and my blessing go with you." The boomerang spun in a half-circle around the room before making it up to the blond so he could catch it. He studied it for a moment wondering of he could enhance his own control over wind with it before making his way back out of the room.

Once outside again, the first thing Link noticed was that the monkeys were gone. He raised an eyebrow, shrugged and turned right. He unleashed the boomerang and got the rotating bridges to sync. _'Oh, look another monkey,'_ he thought as he pulled his sword out of a bokoblin's gut. He burned the thread that held the monkey's cage up and the cage crashed to the ground. The monkey got up, shook his head and jumped away.

Midna appeared. "Well, I guess there are still some monkeys you haven't freed yet! At this point, you should just save them all and see what you can get for it!" she said.

Link rolled his eyes. He was putting up with the imp because…? He sighed started walking. Pulling the map up as he went, he checked it for a path forward. There was both a chest – he hadn't bothered getting to the first time around – and an access to the rest of the temple over by the water filled room. _'Best thing about that place is that the skulltula commits suicide,' _he thought.

…

A boss key and two monkeys later, Link was sitting by a bottomless pitch, starting off into space. He was holding another temple key in his hands. To his right seven monkeys were doing summersaults in joy. There was only one left now and he imagined that he'd need to find it before he could gain access to the temple boss. He sighed. "Might as well get this over with," he muttered and stood up. He pulled out the boomerang as he used his magic to move the door out off his way. He weighed the white and golden weapon in his hand for a moment before sending it off. The whirlwind it created as it flew made his hair flutter. _'A bath would be nice,'_ he thought as he caught the boomerang.

The many locks in the temple were made out of black iron, and they were heavy. Link had no clue how the monsters had managed to attach them to the circular doors though. He placed his key in the lock before him and turned it. The lock fell to the ground with a loud crash, pulling the key with it. The key broke. He still wondered if it was possible to open a lock without breaking the key in the process. He stepped into the unexplored room.

Yellow-eyes watched the intruder from beneath a thick stone tile. If only the stranger would step on top of it. The tile worm would love to throw it off. He and his mate did not like intruders. The stranger pulled something from nowhere and looked around. A piercing green gaze fell on him. The strange object in the intruders hand created a weird swirling noise and he felt himself being pulled up from his safe burrow. His head spun and all he wanted was to get back under ground.

A strange noise was heard and then…

Searing pain

A black cloud of smoke.

Link put his sword back in its scabbard. He looked around noticing a tunnel behind a wooden structure. The faint sound of multiple legs had him pulling his sword back out. It was another skulltula. Not feeling up to dealing with the creature's legs and pincers, Link charged his sword with hot flames before sprinting forward and simply stab the spider's abdomen. It died as he pulled the blade out cutting through the head as he did so. He strangled another two skullwalltulas with the vines they were climbing on before climbing up said vines himself. There was a windmill lock keeping the monkey in. The blond looked skywards and sighed. _'At least this one doesn't have a specific pattern I have to follow,'_ he thought as he let go off the boomerang. The monkey jumped in joy and ran off to join up with his friends.

* * *

Link hissed as he pulled his tunic off. The fabric had done nothing to protect him against the acid that Diababa had been spraying at him. The tunic was soaked and the acid made his skin burn.

_'__Midna is happy now at least,'_ the blond thought as he dumped his clothes into the water of Faron Spring. The boss had left behind a piece of armour that looked mysteriously like the headpiece that the imp wore. She had said it was one of the things she'd been looking for. Fused Shadow she'd called it.

Link pulled his boots off and then his pants. Faron had told him that he should head east next – to the Eldin province. It sounded like he might even find the kids over there which was a good thing. He walked over to the deep-end of the spring and dived in.

The cool water felt wonderful on his sore skin. His feet hit the bottom of the pond and he stood up, taking a deep breath. He ran his fingertips over his burnt skin and pushed his magic through them.

The pain faded slowly. He fell back in the water and closed his eyes. _'One down two to go,'_ he thought tiredly.


	6. In the Crater

**In the Crater**

Midna humphed. She had pulled the blond human into the twilight, and he had gained his beast form once more. The two of them had been walking for a while now.

She took a deep breath, happy to be back in a realm of twilight once more. She looked over at the gap in the path ahead. Hadn't she seen a bridge lying around somewhere recently? "I wonder if this is the work of those shadow creatures…" she murmured. "Ugh… What a pain." She knew that if she'd seen the missing bridge recently it must have been in the forest. _'But where did I see it?'_ she wondered. _'We fought the shadow beasts… and it wasn't the first time.' _She concentrated on her magic.

The wolf beneath the girl yelped in surprise as they disappeared in a cloud of particles. "Aha… there it is," Midna said as she noticed the bridge standing against the cliff wall. "You know," she said to the wolf. "Most people can't leave the twilight that easily. You'd better be grateful!"

The wolf huffed in response. _'Shut up and grab the stupid bridge so we can get going,'_ he thought.

"Oh, well let's take that bridge and leave shall we," Midna said. She giggled, trying to dispel some of the nervous tension she felt. The form she currently had made her feel vulnerable, and she hated it. She wished for the umph time that she had her true form. She wouldn't have to rely on a human if she did. _'Humans all so stupid and greedy and urgh,'_ she thought. Not that the human she was currently travelling with showed any of the bad traits that she would normally associate with his race. He wasn't stupid – despite what she told him – and he was powerful without wanting anything in particular from others.

The girl sighed before transporting herself, the wolf and the missing bridge back to the twilight. She placed the wooden structure down where it belonged before landing the wolf on top off it. "See! Just as I thought," she said with a laugh. "So, isn't the power of twilight amazing?" She clamped the wolf's sides. "All right! Let's keep going!" she said demandingly. She might like the twilight, but the cause for it she hated with a passion. She didn't mind helping these light dwellers if it meant messing HIS plans up.

The wolf took them up the path, following a trail only he knew was there. He killed two shadow bulblin, and Midna stretched with a deep yawn. Ridding on the back off a wolf was faster than walking but it got tiring after a while.

They reached a thick iron gate with red smeared over the bars. "What is this?" Midna asked. "This is a pretty elaborate gate… What are they keeping in," she thought for a moment, "or out?" she added. Then she looked around. "I bet it'll be worth our while to dig in…" she said. She disappeared down into the wolf's shadow as he moved over to the loose ground and dug his way under the gate.

The girl gave another yawn. _'Maybe I should take a nap,'_ she thought. The wolf could talk to the next spirit without her. She yawned again and said, "I'm going to take a nap. You behave now and don't slack off." She disappeared down into the wolf's shadow so she could sleep undisturbed.

The wolf snorted. _'Just shut up and let me work,'_ he thought.

* * *

Midna was shaken awake an unknown amount of time later when a massive explosion managed to disturb the very ground the wolf's shadow was landing on. "What is going on!" she exclaimed as she made it out off his shadow. She watched as the wolf walked over to the ruins of a house where three drops of light were floating. She landed on the wolf's back and said, "So, you had to sacrifice someone's house to find Tears of Light, huh?" She landed on his back. "Well, I guess that is how the cookie crumbles, right?"

The wolf snorted and walked over to the drops so they could fill their slots in the Vessel of Light. Then he jumped back down to the main path of the village they where in.

Midna looked around. The place looked rundown. Windows were broken, doors bared and everything was in disarray. It looked like people had left in a hurry … or been killed by monsters. The wolf brought her over to a house. "Hey, you can climb up here!" she said.

The wolf snorted and then he jumped twice and landed on the roof. He walked over to a makeshift patch up there. The wooden boards and straw gave out beneath him as he walked out on it.

Midna raised a non-existing eyebrow. There were several people in the room. She could see the children that her companion was looking for but not the older girl. The children were huddled together by a dark-haired tanned male-human. Apart from the Ordon children there was little dark-haired girl that looked like she might be the man's daughter. The children looked scared and for once a sting of sympathy went through the orangette.

"Cripes! I don't see those black brutes anywhere…" a balding man with a strange mask said. "They've gotta be hidin' somewhere, waitin' for their helpless little prey to come out! Then they'll FEAST!"

The Ordon children cowered. They did not want to get eaten. The dark-haired man turned to the brunet brat and said, "We are safe as long as we remain in here, child. Be at ease."

The balding man turned around and Midna grimaced in disgust at his appearance. _'If he isn't taking care of himself can't he at least wear a proper shirt that covers his…'_ she thought and shuddered. She turned away from him so she wouldn't have to see the revolting man anymore.

"Oh, yeah?" the man said. "I wonder if the monsters out there agree with you… They sure didn't seem impressed with my bombs! How long do you think we can hold this sanctuary against beasts that strong, huh?" he asked. "Once they attack it's OVER!"

Unfortunately for Midna as much as she hated it, she had to agree with the guy. These people didn't stand a chance against the monsters outside. _'But I guess that IS part of the reason we're here,'_ she thought, _'to save little scared humans.'_

"Remember the lady from the general store? Just one of those things attacked her, and a whole gang from town went to save her!" the balding man said. ""And what happened? She was already gone, and there were TWO monsters waitin'!"

Midna tuned him out and looked down at her finger nails. She already knew what happened to people who got attacked.

"BARNES!" the dark-haired man roared. Next to him young Beth hid her face in her hands and started crying.

Midna looked at the girl. Humans were so weak really. Not that the balding man did anything any better with the way he was blabbing. She was brought out off her thoughts again as the wolf beneath her moved. She looked back over at the kids who seemed to have calmed down somewhat now. She heard the blond boy say, "He'll come I know it."

"Hee, these kids knew you'd come to save them! What a hero!" she said. Then her voice turned more serious. "How sad," she said, "to be right in front of someone and not be noticed at all. You might even be doomed to toil in obscurity forever… So, what are you going to do now? My lonely little hero…?"

The wolf picked up a stick from the floor and lit it in an urn of fire standing on the floor. He ran up a set of stairs and lit four candles.

A strange statue in the middle of the room moved and revealed an opening. "Come let's get this over with," Midna said. The wolf beneath her snorted before he moved up to the opening and jumped down. They landed in a tunnel that led them to a small almost circular room with a strange owl statue by one wall. There were two sparks of lightning and the wolf lunged forward, startling his rider.

Three Tears of Light appeared.

Midna found it interesting that the tears were blue when light in the world was gifted by the sun which was yellow. _'More like our twilight,'_ she thought.

They travelled back out of the basement and all the way through the village up to a mountain path.

"Looks like the path is impassable…" Midna said. "But I guess we can manage…"

* * *

The path was long and winding. The air was getting hotter by the second. The land was dry and barren – no real plant life and no room for animals.

"Why do Gorons have to be so darn big," Link grumbled as he came closer to Death Mountain. He moved out of the way of a steam yet and continued up the path. _'At least the kids are O.K. now,'_ he thought. The looks on their faces when he showed up had been priceless. They'd been so happy to see him. _'This would be easier if there was twilight around still,'_ he thought as he attacked another Goron with his shield. He didn't actually want to hurt the rock-eating people so getting up to the summit of the mountain was a bit complicated. His thoughts travelled back to the children as he climbed the path. Poor Colin had gotten almost trampled by the others when they first saw him. The children had even been determined that he'd approach the Gorons to help the people of Kakariko Village.

Link shook his head. _'Not that I have any real choice but to make my way up here anyway,' _he thought as he stopped outside the entrance to the mountain. He walked in slowly, mindful that the iron boots Bo had given him sat on properly. Everyone back in Ordon had been so happy when he had informed them that the children were safe in Kakariko Village. Now at least they didn't have to worry anymore.

There was an entire hoard of Gorons waiting for the blond when he stepped inside. They all curled up and started spinning. A voice told them to stop before an elderly Goron came walking in to the room. "Is this young one such an imposing enemy that you must all gang up on him? I think not Little Brothers," he said. He beaconed for the young human to step forward. "I am a Goron elder, little human. I am called Gor Coron. Because of certain," he thought about it for a moment, "circumstances, I must lead the Goron tribe in place of Darbus, our tribal patriarch," he said when the blond had joined him. "Tell me, little human, do you come from the village below?"

"No, I'm from Ordon, but I'm here now because of your relationship with Kakariko," Link answered. "I wish to enter the mines."

"Hm, you have done well to come this far. You are strong… for a human. However… The mines beyond here are sacred to my tribe. Outsiders are not allowed. Unless…"

Link raised an eyebrow and gave the Goron elder a determined look. "Unless what?" he asked.

Gor Coron's lips quirked. "I could make an exception… but you would have to beat me in a contest of power. Are you willing to try that, little human?" he asked.

Link nodded. "Sure I am," he said.

As they moved up on a wrestling platform, the blond closed his eyes. He had elemental magic, and he was damn well going to use it. He created a thin layer of magic around his entire body slowly. It would make his skin as hard as stone for a while. He lowered his body into the fighting stance, and as the bell rang for the round, he moved forward so fast that none of the Gorons saw the move. He pushed the elder back a few steps before moving away. He gathered his magic in the palms of his hands and punched Gor Coron as the rock-eater tried to grab him. Then he grabbed the Goron and pushed him off the edge of the wrestling platform. He took a deep breath and calmed his breathing.

Gor Coron lifted his upper body off the ground. "Young warrior… You have a strong will…and sharp eyes," he said. Then he stood up before continuing, "Fine traits… Want to see how well you can use them?"

Link placed a hand on his hip and ran the other through his hair as he dispelled the magic coating his skin. "Yeah, sure, what do you have in mind?" he asked. He walked up to the Goron elder slowly since he was still wearing the iron boots.

"You have seen it, I would bet," Gor Coron said, "the mountain erupting without pause. "When the mountain began to rage, all four of us elders and Darbus, our patriarch, went inside to investigate its anger. You see we have a treasure that was entrusted to us by the spirits, and we must protect it Do you understand?"

Link nodded. He was sure the Goron was talking about a Fused Shadow.

"But the moment Darbus reached out and touched the treasure…" the elder continued, "…everything went wrong. He collapsed… and before our very eyes transformed into an unspeakable monster! He began to rage through the mines trailing ruin behind him… and the eruptions grew more frequent and more severe. We used all of our strength to seal him deep inside the mountain… It grieved us to do this to our patriarch… but we had no other course of action. I ask this favour of you, young warrior… Go to the aid of Darbus! Make no mistake, the spirits have guided you here. I, Gor Coron, need your help… On behalf of my entire clan, I ask you for your aid!" he finished.

Link met the Goron's gaze for a moment. "I, Link Slytherin, hereby lend you and yours my aid in this your time of need. Do not fret if there is a way to help Darbus I will find it," he said.

Gor Coron nodded. He turned to two of the Gorons and ordered them, "… You two! Let the young warrior pass."

The Gorons moved aside, revealing a dark entrance.

"The mines are full of traps, all placed to protect the treasure from thieves. And worse than traps… Since the eruption began, foul creatures of all shapes have settled into every corner of the mines. Getting to the patriarch's location will not be easy. I would prepare you blade, young warrior," the elder said.

Link nodded absentmindedly. He was already heading towards the entrance. His steps slow because of the stupid iron boots he was wearing. He passed the Goron guards and entered the dark tunnel they had been guarding. As he walked, the air around him became hotter with every step he took. _'Great,'_ he thought, _'I'm entering an active volcano.'_ He remembered from the stories that his Granddad had worn a special tunic when he entered and cleared the fire temple. Thankfully because of his elemental magic, he didn't need to worry about that.

…

Link hated the iron boots. He hated them. Sure, they had enabled him to get through the temple, but walking upside-down and on walls was not his idea of a good time. "Take the weapon with the blessing of the Gorons my ass!" he muttered. "Stupid damn guard wouldn't listen to me noooo! I had to beat the crap out off him and then he says I can have the weapon 'cause I'm gonna go see the patriarch," he rambled angrily as he walked up to a chest. He opened it and lifted a bow and quiver full of arrows. "Well, now at least this is practical," he said to himself as he studied the bow. "Much better than that stupid slingshot."

The blond looked up at the gate blocking his path. He placed and arrow on the string of his bow and pulled. Letting the projectile go and seeing it hit its mark felt brilliant to him. It had been ages since he last held a bow, and it was good to know that he had not lost his touch. He walked over the drawbridge he'd lowered, bow still in hand. There was a torch slug hanging from the ceiling. The bow was raised, a new arrow on the string, and he fired.

A smirk graced his lips as he continued walking. He entered a circular room with several stone statues in it. He raised an eyebrow at them but didn't think much of it until one of the statues he walked up to moved. A red stone on its front started glowing, and Link threw himself out off the way as a red power beam shot through the air where his head had been just moments earlier. He moved back to the centre of the room and saw how every single one of the statues lit up and started spinning, rotating slowly. _'Oh, great beamos lookalikes,'_ Link thought, finally recognising the annoying things. He was kind of glad that it was just trap beamos and not the real thing because he didn't have any bombs. He studied them for a while before looking down at his bow. _'Why not?'_ he thought. He lifted the bow and shot the red eye of one of the beamos. The eye exploded and black smoke rose from the statue before it settled back down in place.

Six crashed eyes later, Link was looking down at his dungeon map. He momentarily wondered where the compass was but brushed it aside as none consequential. There were two paths leading from the room he was in, but only one would take him forward. The other room was small and circular. It was the room he was currently entering. The last of the Goron elders stood before him – He'd met two apart from Gor Coron before now. They had both given him a piece of a key to the boss room. He guessed he'd be given the last piece now. _'Well at least I'm not going to have to figure out how the stupid thing fits in the lock,'_ he thought. He didn't particularly like puzzles.

The last elder wore face paint and was very thin for a Goron. "Ah! You are here at last!" he … she said. Link wasn't certain… Were there even Goron women?

"I heard that you might pay a visit, young human. I am far sighted in all things," the elder said.

_'__I guess, I'm just a big blur then,'_ Link thought humorously.

"Here you go…" the elder said and handed the blond a key shard, "the last key shard! Combine all three shards!" The pieces were joined and the key completed before the elder said, "If you use that key, you can open the room where Darbus, the tribal patriarch, is being held. Who knows how powerful Darbus is in his new grotesque form…"

_'__And you called yourself far sighted. Did you really mean that I'm blurry,'_ Link thought.

"But," the elder continued, "I suppose I should trust in your power, considering you came this far…"

'_Oh, thank you for your vote of confidence,'_ Link thought sarcastically while making certain to keep his face straight. This Goron was starting to get on his nerves.

"Hurry, now!" the elder said. "To the patriarch's room!"

_'__Bossy Goron,'_ Link thought as he left the room. He made his way over to the far side beamos statue and moved it aside. There was a door behind it. Opening that door took him to a room filled with lava, burring keese and torch slugs. There was even a dodongo walking around on a small platform.

Link walked up to the iron fence that blocked his path. He looked at it for a moment before raising a leg and delivering a harsh kick to it. The net hit the ground with a loud crash.

The blond slashed the dodongo's tail off and shot the torch slugs down.

The path forward was blocked by a thick metal gate. _'They really build thing much sturdier around here than they did back in the Forest Temple,'_ Link noted. He walked up to a button and groaned. "Why does it have to be more magnetic rock?" he whined. He highly disliked the whole walking in the ceiling concept and wondered how on Earth Gorons could make it anywhere in the temple. He strapped the iron boots on and stepped on to the button. The magnetic field expanded and pulled him up. He closed his eyes against the spinning. When he opened them again he moved up to a dodongo that was walking around up there.

Slash

Pouf

He looked down at his sword before sheeting it again, wondering for the umph time just how come the sword and shield didn't stick to the magnetic stone. He looked around and noticed a switch.

Blue turned yellow.

He grabbed a hold of latches on the boots and spun his body as he fell from the ceiling. He moved away from where the boots were still hanging and sighed. This was starting to get old. He reached out with his magic and shook the very rock of the ceiling so that the magnetic field was disrupted and the boots fell down. He picked them up and stuffed them into one of his pouches. He turned and walked through the open gate and then the door behind it. He was back in one of the biggest rooms of the temple. He looked out over the room and whimpered. There were big magnets being moved around by huge cranes. They were designed to carry him across the lava below. He buried his finger in his blond hair and pulled lightly. He did so not want to do this.

…

Link sat down by the water and sighed. This room was so much nicer than the rest of the temple. The almost cool, clear water was nice and soothing after the warmth of the rest of the temple. He had killed two toadpolis earlier so he was alone in the room now. He grabbed his tunic and pulled it off. It could do with a wash.

The fabric and mailshirt hit the floor with a thump. The rest of his clothes soon followed, landing in a rumpled heap. He slipped into the water slowly. Shuddering slightly because of the temperature change, he took a few calm strokes before diving under water.

Later, after the blond had finished his swim, he was sitting on one of the many stone pillars sticking out of the water, washing his clothes. There had to be some sort of magical-keep-clean charm on the hero's clothes. There just was no way they wouldn't have only now started smelling otherwise. He pulled the tunic out of the water and wrung it out. He threw it over to the closed gate that would take him forward, repeating the process with his pants and undershirt before jumping over to the platform. He settled down against the hard rock in desperate need of a nap.

.

Some time later, Link sat up breathing heavily. His hands clenched and he brushed the fingertips of his right hand over his cock as he moved the hand to comb his finger through his hair. He groaned. _'Of all things I can do inside a bloody temple a wet dream is not my idea of fun,'_ he thought. He rested his elbow against his bent knee and opened his eyes. He was fully erect. "Great," he breathed glad that Midna usually kept away when he was walking around in the light-world. He moved his hand out of his hair and ran his palm down over his cock. He knew that it wouldn't go away without some much needed attention – especially after a dream like that. His thoughts turned back to the dream as he began to slowly stoking the heated flesh.

Searing kisses and strong, rough hands – he never saw a body much less a face. It was always to dark for such things. But who ever it was that gave him pleasure in those dreams the voice was unmistakable. Rich, smooth yet strangely rough in ways … "Arahhh," he moaned as strings of hot white liquid shot from his cock. He lay back down on the ground sluggishly as his breathing slowed. He knew he couldn't stay there. He had to go deal with Darbus.

Pushing thoughts about the sexy man of his dreams to the back of his head, Link stood up slowly and walked over to his clothes. "Maybe I shouldn't have thrown them all in a pile earlier," he muttered as he pulled his still wet pants up from the ground. He grimaced at them before concentrating. A warm wind blew through the room and dried the pants. He kept the wind going as he pulled them on and picked up his undershirt. '_At least I didn't throw the mailshirt in to the same pile as everything else,'_ he thought as he pulled it on.

Once fully dressed, the blond readied his bow and shot an arrow at the switch in the room. Blue turned yellow and he moved through the gate. He lifted the bow and waited for the beamos statue to look his way. Tchick … scktash… click the beamos settled. He pulled another arrow out and aimed. Tchick … scktash… click.

Link walked up between the two statues and climbed up on the ledge. He was glad that he didn't need to use the stupid iron boots this time. He opened the door and exited. The next room wasn't really a room. He looked up at the blue sky almost missing a bulblin that came running up to him… almost. He grabbed its raised club and punched it in the face twice in rapid succession. The bulblin fell backwards, and he sneered at it before moving forward, stomping down on its throat. A cloud of black smoke rose up around his legs. He wasn't in the best of mood since he knew for a fact that there was another of those bloody annoying cranes with a magnet in the area. He'd seen it last time he'd gone through, and he just knew he'd have to use that now.

Bulblins were firing arrows at the human. To their surprise and dismay, however, the human didn't run like last time. No, no he pulled out a bow of his own and one by one they fell to his lethal aim.

Link groaned as he stepped up on top of the switch that activated the magnet. "On and off… on and off," he muttered and looked up at the magnet as it moved away with his boots. He backed a few steps and then as the crane came back he cracked the magnetic stone. He had to force the stone to stay put on the ground when he picked his boots up. "What were they thinking…?" He thanked Nayru that his pouches reduced both the size and weight of the items in them considering the weight of the boots.

The blond opened another door and warm air met his face. _'Great more lava,'_ he thought as he entered. He walked forward studying the walls when…

"Argh," Link gasped and moved to the side. He looked down at his legs and arrow was sticking out of his left hip. "Fuck," he hissed. He leaned back against the metal pipe he was hiding behind. _'Stupid moronic idiot… just wander into the next room without a care in the world,' _he berated himself as he placed an arrow on the bowstring. He moved out despite the pain in his leg and fired. Pain shot up his side as he moved back. He had to get rid off that arrow. He grabbed a hold of the wood and pulled it out with a twist. His jaw clenched and his eyes closed against the pain. He dropped the projectile and placed a hand over the wound. He unclenched his jaw and breathed out in relief as his magic healed the wound. When his head left his leg the only sign of the wound left was the bloodstained fabric of the pants. He shifted his weight and placed another arrow on the bow string.

Tchick… tchick…tchick…

The blond shook his head and pulled a hand through his hair. It had been so stupid, getting hit by those morons. He jogged down to where the monsters had stood and looked around. There was another suspended drawbridge. Looking from the lava to the drawbridge, he wondered just how fast he'd have to walk over the bridge after he'd lowered it down not to burn his feet off.

Tchick… thump

"How the hell did these bulblins end up on THAT side of the drawbridge?" Link asked thin air. The monsters noticed him and started moving forward. He his gaze flickered around the room looking for a way to kill all of them at once. His eyes fell on the lava around him and he reached out with his magic.

Two big lava serpents rose up from either side of the drawbridge and proceeded to melt the bulblins in front of the blond. The screeched and tried to run but the serpents wouldn't let them escape. The lava retreated and left the path before their master free. Link smiled slightly as he walked over the bridge which was strangely cool despite the lava underneath it. There were rows of pillars on either side of the path leading up to a gigantic door. Link raised an eyebrow._ 'Why?' _he wondered as he walked up to the door. There was a carving above the arches that passed over the door that looked a lot like the Goron Ruby. There were little symbols on the big golden lock as well. He pulled the big key out of a pouch and lifted it up. He pushed it into the lock and grabbed the circle at the base of the key. He turned it counter clockwise, stepped back and watched as the lock fell from the door. He turned his gaze to one of the two torches that stood on either side of the door. _'Because you need extra fire in the fire temple,'_ he thought. He walked up to the door. _'Well I guess that it makes more sense than having torches in the Forest Temple where everything can catch on fire if something goes wrong,'_ he thought as he pushed the door open. He looked down at the gigantic lock glad that he hadn't stood under it when it fell. He would have been mush now if he had; the thing was huge.

The room was dark. In its centre stood a big monster chained to the floor and ceiling with thick metal chains. Pillars like the ones outside went in a circle around the room. Link walked past the row of pillars. He was walking slowly not overly interested in waking the big monster up. It didn't seem to be a very intelligent thing to do. He stopped as the ground shook. His pulse sped up and he looked up as a strange gem on the monster's brow started glowing faintly. The monster's skin rippled with fire and he took a step back.

The gem pulsed once and the monster skin started to burn. "Well hello Sauron," Link said as the gem's glow faded and an eye just like the one from the Lord of the Rings became visible, "fancy meeting you here." He backed away from the monster and pulled his bow out. He had needed to use the boomerang against Diababa after all so it would make sense to use the bow now. He took a steadying breath as the monster started moving. It shifted its head from side to side, and then it pulled at the chains holding it.

Fyrus roared at the human. He tensed his muscles and pulled at the chains again. His arms landed to his sides and he took a step forward. What was this little insect that had entered his domain? Whatever it was it was going to die…

Link moved back a few more steps before he raised his bow. _'This better work,' _he thought as he let the arrow fly. The monster's head was thrown back as the arrow hit the gem. The blond ran up behind it and noticed the long chains that were attached to its legs. He looked down at it. _'There is no way I'm strong enough to pull that beast of balance,' _he thought. He moved back as the monster regained its bearings.

Fyrus looked around. _'Where is that little insect?'_ he thought. He saw something move out of the corner of his eye and turned towards it. He was walking forward when a stinger hit him. He roared. _'How can the little insect hit me from so far away?'_ he wondered. He shook his head, trying to clear it. His head moved from side to side looking for the intruder. _'Got you,'_ he thought as he moved up to it. The little green figure was bent over something. His hand rose up to the side and then he slammed it into the insect, sending the green body flying.

Crash…

Link coughed. "Ungh," he groaned. He tried to pull himself out of the rubble the pillar had created when his body had collided with it. _'Stupid iron boots…'_ went through his muddled head. He collapsed down on the floor with a groan.

Fyrus walked up to the insect. It was still alive. He reached down and picked it up. Link whimpered as the warmth from the monster's hand heated up his mailshirt so it burned into his skin. He would have screamed but there wasn't enough air in his lungs for that. Fyrus fist closed tighter around the little being that had opened the door to his prison. He roared at it triumphantly. Then something happened. His fingers were feeling strange. He couldn't move them. Then his veins started burning but it wasn't fire that ran through them. A strange white coat was covering the skin on his arm. It was spreading fast.

The burning sensation had stopped. Green eyes opened groggily. Pain was still coursing through his body but the cause for it had disappeared. Link blinked once. He stared dumbly at the once burning inferno of a monster. It was frozen solid now. He wondered how that had happened. Then a sudden need to get away from the monster went through him and he gathered his magic desperately. He pushed with it against the cold hand holding his body up. His legs gave out under him as he landed on the floor.

"Aaah." Thump!

He looked up at the monster. The force of his push had made the monster sway. He watched as it fell backwards and its skin shattered. Darkness rose from its head and created another armour piece.

Link let out a choked laugh as Midna appeared to grab the Fused Shadow. The little twilight imp turned around to look at him and gasped. "What happened to you?" she asked scornfully – but even in his injured state the blond could hear concern in her voice. "Never mind that," he groaned. "Just get me back to Eldin spring… please."

It was a sign of just how much the human's state bothered her that Midna didn't throw another mean or sarcastic remark his way before transporting them out of the temple. The blond had been injured after his fight with Diababa too, but it had bee nothing compared to this. She dropped him off by the edge of the spring, hoping that one off the village dwellers would notice him.

"Link!" a child's voice screamed.

It was the last thing the blond heard before passing out.


	7. Ripples on the Surface

**Ripples on the Surface**

Link woke up slowly. His mind was fuzzy.

Somewhere in the distance he could hear a voice speaking.

His senses were returning to him slowly. He could feel the mattress beneath him, and the sheet covering his mostly naked skin. A small hand was holding his. He gave it a light squeeze.

"Link," the person next to him called out.

The blond opened his mouth to respond but no words came out. Green eyes opened slowly. The room was dark. He blinked a few times and what little he could see came into focus. Blond hair fell over his face as he turned to look at whoever was sitting next to him.

Blond hair and blue eyes. Colin looked worried.

Link smiled faintly at the boy. "I'm O.K. Colin don't worry," he managed to whisper.

The little blonde's brows furrowed. "You're not O.K. Link. You almost died!" he exclaimed angrily. "If Talo hadn't seen you when he did then…" Tears had started running down his face. "You can't die you know," he said. "Someone has to save Ilia too. The monsters must have taken her somewhere else." He fell quiet for a moment. "You know," he said. "Whenever I thought I couldn't go on, I would think of you and Ilia and hold on, Link."

Link sighed and smiled softly at him. _'And here I thought that maybe I could just ignore her and she'd go away,'_ he thought. He didn't really mean it though. He knew that. "Don't worry about me Colin I'll heal… I always do," he said.

Colin looked at him with eyes that screamed that he didn't believe the older boy, but he didn't get a chance to say anything else before the door opened.

A dark haired, tanned man entered the room. "Ahh, you are awake finally…" he said. "That is good news." He walked up closer to the bed. "How do you feel young man?" he asked.

Link grimaced, "I've felt better," he said. Then he closed his eyes and actually went over his body with his magic. Broken bones and bruising. He couldn't move his left arm and there was something wrong with his left leg too. The worst of the burns he had obtained had been dealt with though. "Broken arm, sprained ankle and a lot of bruising on the left leg, two broken ribs and three fractured ones… Did I have a concussion too?" he looked up at Renado.

A thick dark eyebrow was raised. "You seem to be quite well aware of your injuries then," he said surprised. "There was a concussion and a lot of burns as well. There was…" he stopped and looked up at Colin. "The others are having dinner down stairs," he said. "You should join them and then you should make certain Luda brings some for Link as well."

Colin stood up slowly. His muscles were still sore from his own heroic moment. He looked back at Link before he left the room. "You get better O.K," he said.

"Sure," Link answered with a smile. As soon as the door closed, he pulled himself up with his good arm. He pulled the bandage off the left arm and turned to Renado who was watching him with narrowed eyes. "Can you make certain that the bone is aligned properly?" he asked as he held the arm out.

Renado reached out and grabbed the broken arm gently. He was about to ask what the young man was up to when a soft white glow surrounded the arm. He could feel the power emitting from the blond in front of him. He wondered what was going on. The Ordon children had not mentioned any kind of magic when they spoke of the older boy.

Link pulled his arm away from the man and moved it slowly. He wanted to make sure he'd done a good job healing it. He was stiff which was to be expected but otherwise it seemed fine now. He shifted his body and placed his hands against his ribs. He'd have to make certain that his ribs where aligned properly himself so it would be a bit trickier.

Green eyes opened as the white glow faded from his chest. He wouldn't be able to do anything more tonight. "You can go ahead and ask you question Renado I won't feel insulted," he said.

Brow eyes widened slightly. "You have magic young one but the children from Ordon know nothing about this, how can that be?" he asked.

Link snorted. "They don't know because I have never used it in front of the Ordonians," he said. "They didn't need to know as far as I was concerned. I wouldn't have showed you either if I hadn't needed your help. I've been taught not to show people what I'm capable of unless it is absolutely necessary to do so," he said. He turned to meet Renado's eyes. "I could have waited until the arm healed on its own but I have neither the patience nor the time to do so. I have to keep going or the monsters will return…"

Renado thought about what he'd been told for a moment. "You speak as if you're not from Ordon…"

"No, I'm not…" the blond said. "I come from a land far away from here," he sighed. "I have my rots here in Hyrule though. My Granddad is from here." He stared off in to space.

Renado shook his head. He doubted the young man would tell him anymore now. "You have to realise that you could have died…"

"I know that… I'm not going to simply trust that a temple will provide me with what I need next time," Link said irritably. He looked down at his hands. "If I had approached what I had to face with the teachings I have been given I wouldn't have gotten that hurt. I should have known better."

Renado watched as the teen sank down deeper into bed. "We all make mistakes," he said. "There is no point in burying yourself in them now. Look forward and learn from the past."

Link nodded reluctantly as the door opened. "Father I bring food for our patient," Luda said.

"Ah, good come in dear," Renado said with a smile.

The girl walked up to the bed and placed the tray down in Link's lap. "Thank you," the blond said softly. He looked down at the plate and lifted the fork up slowly. He missed the food from back home.

* * *

Link pulled his boots on. It was time to leave. He couldn't stay any longer; it would drive him crazy. He care a lot for the Ordon children, but their constant worry about him was grating on his nerves. He was fully healed and had been for days now. He would never walk around injured. Not while his magic worked just fine. He stood up and pulled his belt and baldric on, fastening them. He looked down at the shield wondering if he really wanted to bring that along. He barely used it anyway. He grabbed it and pushed it down into a pouch. Maybe he would need it at some point and then he might as well have it with him. The quiver had been attached to the baldric and he was just now fastening his sword to his side. Why the spirits wanted him to carry it on his back he didn't know and didn't care about really.

The sun was shining outside. Epona was waiting for him just up the road. He placed a hand on the hilt of his sword and turned towards the sanctuary. He better go say goodbye to Renado before he left. To his luck the dark-haired man was just leaving the sanctuary when he arrived. He looked Link up and down. Nodding he said, "You can leave the children to me. I will watch over them. I swear it. Don't let their fates trouble you," he said.

Link bowed his head. "Thank you Renado. I know you will take good care of them. I feel that it is time to leave now," he said and turned northwest.

"I understand young one. Go to those who need you. In Hyrule, countless tales are told of the ancient hero…" Renado was interrupted.

"I know and most of them tend to forget that the Hero of Time was not alone in his struggles. He was accompanied by a young magician trained by the Sheikah, who once guarded the royal family of Hyrule," Link said.

Renado bowed his head. He wondered how the young man knew these things and where he had heard about it. "Be that as I may. Your deeds still bring those tales to mind. May the goddesses who shaped Hyrule bear you on your way," he said.

Link opened his mouth to respond but changed his mind. When he did come up with something to say it was much less harsh than what he had first been about to say. "Thank you Renado for you aid. I hope that this village will see no more hardship." He was backing away. "Goodbye," he said as he turned.

Epona was waiting impatiently for him as reached her he petted her side before grabbing her reins. The kids had been talking about Barnes and … bombs lately. It had sounded both interesting and very practical as far as he was concerned. So, he was going to stop by the shop on the way out of the village. There were Gorons walking up and down the only street in the village. It felt nice to know that he'd fixed that problem at least even if it had taken a bit more out off him than he'd liked. He nodded to a Goron that stood outside of Barnes' bombshop before entering the store.

"Hey now, bud!" Barnes said as Link reached the counter. "How 'bout this, now? Yep, I finally managed to get my numbers together and open up shop again. Well, sort of… I guess I've only got one type of bomb, but hey, that's one more than none, right?" he sighed and mumbled, "If only my storehouse had survived…"

_'__Ops,'_ Link thought. He had forgotten that he'd blown the storehouse up earlier. Not that he'd ever let Barnes know that. "I would like to buy some bombs but I need a bomb-bag as well," he told the balding man.

"What's that, now? You ain't got a bomb-bag huh? I've got a special offer goin' right now. It's my bomb-bag premium kit, which comes with bag and bombs for just, 120 rupees! How 'bout that!"

Link sighed. The man was just a tad bit too much sometimes. The offer sounded interesting, though, and it wasn't like he couldn't afford it. "Sounds good, I'll take it," he said and pulled out the requested amount of rupees.

"That's the spirit! Now you'll get to taste the true height of perfection with my finely-crafted bombs!" Barnes said.

Link chuckled. "Yeah I guess, I will," he said. "Good day Barnes." He turned to leave the store.

"Well hey, we're open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so you just drop on by anytime!"

Link shook his head as he walked out of the store. _'If he's open 24/7 then when does he sleep?'_ he wondered. He placed a hand on the horn of Epona's saddle and pulled himself up. "Well, girl let's get going shall we?" he said.

Epona snorted and they trotted off.

…

They hadn't gotten very far when a voice had Link pulled Epona in. "Whoa girl," he said calmly. He turned and rolled his eyes as the postman came running up to them. "Greetings, Mr Link! I have come to deliver a letter… or two letters in fact!" he said and handed over two envelopes.

Link reached down and accepted then, looking the handwriting over.

"Well, my business is concluded!" the postman said. "Onward to mail!"

Link snorted as the man ran off and stashed the letter away as unimportant for now. "Come on girl at this pace we'll never get there," he said. He led the mare across Hyrule field and over Eldin Bridge. He stopped a couple of yards away from a row of big boulders and grabbed his bomb-bag, pulling a bomb out. He rolled it over to the rocks like a bowling ball before sending a fireball after it.

BOOM

The rocks exploded. No seconds later a strange sound reached the blonde's ears and he turned to wards the bridge just in time to see a big chunk of it being transported away by a shadow rift. "Oh, shit," Link said. "Well there goes our way back…" He watched as three shadow beasts dropped down on his side of the bridge and sighed. _'Not now,'_ he decided. He could deal with them later since they couldn't actually hurt anyone where they were now.

The blond turned back in the saddle and Epona started walking, building up to a steady gallop as she went. They ran past bulblins who tried to shoot them with arrows. The walls of the ravine were high and imposing. He wondered for how much longer they would have to travel before they got out off there. He slowed Epona down as a wall of twilight became visible before him. He dismounted her and stroked her side. "Go on girl go back and find some grass will you," he told her. She snorted and Link laughed.

The sound of hooves echoed in the ravine long after the mare had left him there. The blond sighed and walked closer to the curtain of twilight. Midna appeared beside him as he walked. "Ah, we're finally here," she said. "There is only one Fussed Shadow left now… So, I guess this is the last twilight you'll see."

"I guess so," Link responded. He couldn't help but notice that the imp seemed somewhat saddened by the idea. He stopped just before the twilight and turned to her. "Let's go Midna, you can pull me through now," he said.

Midna giggled and disappeared through the dark curtain of twilight. Link shifted and moved into the orange hand that the imp's hair created when she sent it out after him. He tensed slightly as he was pulled through. Turning into a wolf had a tendency to hurt a bit.

A big golden wolf shook his shoulders. Green eyes scanned the ravine before him as the familiar weight of Midna settled on his back. He dug his claws into the dirt path beneath him before taking off running fast. _'Bloody ravine goes on forever,'_ he thought as he ran. Shadow keese attacked him from the air. "Grrroff," Link barked as he sidestepped one of the flying beasts. He growled at it and lunged forward.

A cloud of black particles rose from the ground.

Link picked up his pace. He ran across the Northern Hyrule field watching the Castle in the distance as he went. Across a bridge and down the southernmost path, Ilia's scent was leading him to the gates of Hyrule Castle Town.

The wolf sighed. He didn't want to go into the town and he wasn't overly interested in seeing Ilia again either. It didn't matter that he was a wolf or that no one could see him. He still didn't want to go in there. A clap of thunder had him turning his head south. _'What was that?'_ he wondered. He looked around noticing a path leading down the way he wanted to go.

Midna grabbed on to the wolf's fur as he started running. "What are you doing weren't we supposed to go into town?" she asked surprised.

The wolf stopped at the top of an amphitheatre. He could see for miles from up there. Before him there was a huge crater like area. _'Is that… Lake Hylia? But where is all the water?'_ he wondered. Another thunderclap sounded through the air it echoed and spread. In the orange sky a black line appeared. It opened slowly like a big mouth gapping, and a small white figure fell from its dark depths.

Link watched as the white figure fell through the air towards the ground beneath. _'If that is a person the impact is going to kill it,' _he thought before he turned and took off trying to find a path down to the lake. Despite the fact that he knew he couldn't possibly get there in time, he still had to go. He dashed past a gaggle of bulblins and down a path. He stopped in front of the fence that existed to keep people from falling into the lake under normal circumstances. _'Where is it?'_ he wondered as he looked down at the seabed. He couldn't see anything from where he stood. Looking over at the bridge, he started running hoping to get a better view from somewhere else. He was so worried into finding the white shape that he didn't notice the strange smell coming from under his feet until Midna shouted, "Get us out off here!" He looked up and saw a wall of flames making its way towards them. He turned and out of the corner of his eye he saw another approaching from the side he'd come running from. There was a box standing to his left. He moved over to it and pulled himself up on top of it before jumping over to the railing of the bridge. He looked down at the minuscule amount of water below. _'This is sooo not going to be pleasant,'_ he thought as he cast himself off the railing.

A wolf was falling from the sky. If people had been capable of seeing him they would have been worried. A direct hit to water at the speed he was going should kill a person. The wolf started spinning suddenly and the rotation slowed him down as he went. _'I so do not what to end up as a red smudge on the water surface,'_ Link thought as he gathered his magic and used the wind around him to slow himself down.

"Phew… That was a close one. We're lucky there was a puddle down below, huh?" Midna said. She looked around. "So this is Lake Hylia… But there is so little water… At any rate let's take a look around. Come on! Let's go!"

The wolf swam ashore slowly. He shook the water out of his fur and looked over at a group of Zoras. He wasn't really interested in them right now though. There was a strange looking house standing some distance away. _'Maybe I can see something from there,'_ Link thought as he started running once more – his legs were starting to ache from all the running and he was hungry.

The spirit of a very sad looking clown was standing in front of the house when Link got there. The wolf looked at the man, who was muttering to himself, but didn't not approach him. He had seen a white blur out of the corner of his right eye. He was off running once more. _'Please be O.K.'_ he thought desperately not knowing why he even cared.

A bulblin stood by the white shape. He turned towards the approaching golden shape and his eyes widened. He could not possibly fight that beast alone. He turned to a patch of hawk grass. A light smirk graced his lips. He would call down a master of the skies to deal with the beast coming towards him.

A shrill tune drifted through the air.

A huge shadow kargarok descended from the skies and he jumped up on its back. He readied his bow and set fire to an arrow. It missed as the golden beast jumped aside. "Grashke deshim," he muttered as he missed again. He grabbed the winged beast's reigns and guided it downwards.

It was the last mistake that bulblin would ever do…

Link lunged forward and buried his teeth in the kargarok's neck casting its rider off. He dashed over to the white-masked monster and crushed its jugular. Black particles rose from around his feet. He turned as Midna's weight disappeared from his back, wondering where she had gone.

The imp was sitting on the kargorok's back holding its reins as it tried to buckle. "Hey! Stop it!" she said. "I'm your master now! Settle down!"

Link snorted. He looked over at the white shape worriedly. He had started moving towards it when Midna said, "Hey! Why don't we use this guy to get us all the way to the lake's water source?" she asked.

Link had however had reached the white shape and was barley listening to her. He sniffed at the beings back. _'What has happened to you?'_ he wondered. A crisscross of deep wounds travelled over the being's back. The golden wolf walked around it slowly. He found the mouth and was both relieved and surprised that it was still alive. He looked down at his wolf form. There was no way he could help this creature like this. He hadn't tried turning back to his human form inside the twilight yet because he hadn't found it necessary… but now he had to if he wanted to heal this creature.

Green eyes closed.

In the distance Midna said something.

Time stopped.

"What are you up to down there?" Midna asked irritably. "Come on let's get going…" Her eyes widened as the wolf down on the ground started glowing. "What is…" she breathed.

The wolf turned into a young man his hair not blond anymore but a thick glowing gold that fell around his face in layers. Despite the fact that he should have turned into a spirit the young human remained in his true form inside the twilight without changing.

Link breathed out happily. _'I made it,' _he thought amazed. He placed his hands over one of the largest gashes on the being's back. His glowing green eyes closed again as he pushed his magic towards the wound to first gauge the damage and then heal it. He went from one open wound to the next knowing that if he didn't eat something soon he'd collapse.

Next to the golden-blond and the white-creature, Midna landed with her kargorok. She moved down from the winged-beast and floated over to the human. "How can you look like that in here, and how come you're capable of healing him?" she asked the human.

Link looked up tiredly. He had fixed the worst of the damage by now. It would be up to the being before him if it was going to live or not now. He met Midna's mahogany-orange eyes. "I do not know how it is that I'm capable of turning into my human form inside the twilight. I know how to turn between an animal and a human under more normal circumstances, though," he said. He opened on of his pouches and pulled out a small clear vial. He uncorked it and downed the contents. Resting his head in the palm of his hand, he pulled an apple, a piece of cheese and a chunk of bread out of another pouch. The meagre meal disappeared in seconds. It wasn't much but it would be enough for now. He realised that he'd only answered one of the imp's questions earlier as he stood up. "You asked how come I can heal him…" he said. "I can heal him because I have the power to. My father's family has been great healers for generations."

The blond moved up to the kargarok. "So, you think we should use this to get upstream," he said and looked over his shoulder.

Midna blinked. "Yes we should. It would be the easiest way up there… but what about him," she said and motioned towards the creature on the ground.

Link shrugged. "We can't leave him down here. If we do he'll drown if we find a way to get the water back to the lake… We can probably drop him off somewhere up there for now," he said and pointed up to the higher landmasses. He grabbed the kargarok's saddle and climbed up on the beasts back. "Do you know how to steer this thing?" he asked Midna.

The imp giggled and teleported to his side. "Move out of the way," she said demandingly.

Link just rolled his eyes and reached up to grabbed her. He pulled her down into his lap and placed the kargarok's reins in her hands. "Don't forget whitey down there. I didn't heal him so we could kill him ourselves with our carelessness," he said to the somewhat flustered imp.

* * *

Link shrugged out of the wolf's fur and stretched. It felt good to know that he could turn back and forth at will now. His breath came out in puffs of white smoke. It was cold up there. He walked forward slowly, his eyes scanning the room. _'Well…'_ he thought as he looked down at the ice beneath his feet, _'Midna did wonder were the Zoras had gotten to earlier._' He shook his head saddened by the sight below. _'This happens way too often to these guys,'_ he thought.

The Zoras were frozen solid beneath the ice.

Looking around for the imp, who had disappeared after they'd beaten the shadow beasts, the blond walked up to an elaborate throne. He placed his hand on the armrest wondering who had been sitting there before all this happened. "Those… those are the Zoras!" he heard Midna exclaim surprised. He turned around to face her. "Yeah, those are the Zoras," he said calmly.

"That… that's really strange… what in the world happened?" the imp asked.

Link shrugged. He wasn't quite as concerned with what happened as with how they would fix it right now. He had heard about something similar happening before after all. Apparently he stayed quiet for too long though because Midna said, "Hey… What do you want to do? We can't just leave them like this…" Her voice was shrill almost – accusing.

"Hmm…" Link said. "What… no we have to thaw them out somehow…" he thought about it for a moment. "There was a volcanic rock that almost landed on me when I made my way up the Death Mountain. We could probably use that to melt the ice. It should still be warm," he said.

Midna had floated up to him as he spoke. "You really are more intelligent as a human," she said and giggled. "Oh, well I guess I could take you to Death Mountain." She held a hand out to the blond. He grabbed the hand and she transported them away from the cold domain.

Black particles rained down on the red-rock of the volcanic mountain that the Gorons called their home. The formed into the shape of a human before gaining colour. Link shrugged. He didn't like portal transportation no matter how practical it was. _'Still not as bad as apparition though,'_ he thought. He ran a hand though his blond locks and turned towards the volcanic rock he was after. He could feel the heat it emitted from where he was standing. "Midna," he whispered softly.

The twilight imp appeared beside him. "That's what we want," he said and motioned to the rock. Midna turned. She floated over to the rock and tilted her head form side to side. "This thing has been here for a while now, but it's still pretty hot…" she said.

"Well, yeah, it takes a long time for stone as warm as that one was when it fell to cool down and with how warm this place is it would take even longer," Link said.

Midna raised an eyebrow at him.

"You need to lower it down slowly when we get there Mid…" he didn't get to finish as the imp transported them and the rock away.

Link landed in front of the throne in the throne room. He turned and looked up at the shadow rift above. The rock appeared slowly. The air around the warm stone turned white as warmth met the cold air. The blond breathed out in relief as it descended towards the ice slowly. Steam rose from the iced pool as the rock touched it.

"Why should I do this slowly?" Midna said irritably as she appeared beside the human.

Link raised an eyebrow at her. "It's simple logic Midna," he said. "If you had just dropped it in then the ice would have splintered and the Zoras torn apart. We would have found pieces of Zora throughout Lake Hylia."

The imp made a grimace in disgust. She turned to the volcanic rock that was working its way down into the ice. "Who knew that something so dangerous would come in handy," she said.

The blond nodded slowly. "It makes one wonder what would have happened here if that rock hadn't come out of the volcano earlier," he said.

Water was flowing freely from the room once more. It was a proof of just how warm the rock they had dropped in was that the water flowing from the spring was warm as well. Even though twilight still prevailed over the land, the room they were in had regained a very nice shade of blue.

"Oh, well," Midna said, "the Zoras are safe now, so let's go." She floated over to Link. "The ice melted and restored the water flow to normal. Can we finally meet the spirit of Lake Hylia?" her tone was annoyed.

Link snorted. "How am I supposed to know that? I guess we'll have to go back down there and check," he said and started walking.

"Wait!" a faint voice echoed through the room.

Link turned around his blade drawn and muscles tense. He froze.

She was beautiful – for a Zora at least – with her slender dress-like fin and long, layered, hair-like scales that flowed down either side of her face. She reminded Link of a mermaid. Bright green eyes looked down at him from a pale almost white face with a reddish brow. Her body was translucent and floated in the air before him. "Yes," he said questioningly.

"Please, you must allow me to thank you for revitalizing both my people and this spring, which is the water source for all the lands of Hyrule. In life, I was the elder of this Zora village and the Queen of my people. I was called Rutela," the Zora said.

"Not to be rude, but we didn't do it for you guys…" Midna said. She moved up next to Link and crossed her arms. Her mahogany-orange eyes glowed.

Link shook his head at the imp, a small smile playing on his lips. "You are welcome Queen Rutela. Though my companion is right it would have grieved me to leave the proud water-folk stuck under ice like that," he said with a bow. "But I must ask… what happened here?"

"The dark ones…" Rutela said. "They raided this village and as a message to my people, executed me before them. Young man… I have something to ask of you. When the dark ones descended upon our village, I sent my young one, Ralis, to Hyrule Castle to inform Princess Zelda of our fate. But… I fear danger followed him from this doomed place. I feel it. His presence grows fainter to me over time… But my time in this world has passed, and though I would give it gladly, I no longer have a life to risk in his rescue. Please… Would you save my dearest, Ralis? If you do this thing, I will bestow upon you the protection of water. This power will grant you the ability to swim and respire in very deep water as if you were a Zora. Please… save my son…" Rutela finished saying before she faded from view.

"Hmm… So, if we help her, she'll grant you the power to swim in deep water like a Zora, huh?" Midna said.

"Sounds like it, yeah," Link said still a bit shocked from the ghost encounter.

Midna rolled her eyes. "So… What do you say, Hero?" she said.

"I say we should deal with the spirit first and help the Zoran Prince once we've returned the light. If he was travelling to Hyrule Castle then he's still in Lanayru Province which means that we can't help him until the twilight is gone," Link said.

"So… No hurry to return you to the world of light, then, huh?"

"No definitely not."

They left the throne room and stopped at the top of the waterfall that flowed down to the small lake below. "Looks like that rock has not only raised the water level, but sped up the flow, too…" Midna said. She looked down at the water. "This water should flow all the way down to the lake. Why don't you let it take you there?"

_'__Oh, let see… I shouldn't take this way down because it is suicidal and because it is generally a very bad idea,'_ Link thought. Then he sighed and took his baldric and belt off. It was also the only way back to the lake. He grabbed the hems of his tunic. If he was going to get wet, he was not going to wear the mailshirt, and he was definitely not going to wear the boots and gloves. He pushed the fabric into one of his pouches followed by the rest of the items he was not going to wear. A blue ribbon was placed between his lips as he pulled his hair back. The ribbon was moved back and tied. He picked the belt and baldric up and fastened them before making certain that all the pouches were closed properly. "If you're coming with me you better hide in my shadow or something," he told Midna. He turned towards the imp when there was no reply.

Midna was sitting in mid-air her eyes wide staring at him. She shook herself out if her stupor and blushed faintly – at least Link thought it was a blush. It was hard to tell on her white and black skin. "What were you saying?" she asked.

"If you are coming along with me you better hide in my shadow. This is going to be a rough ride," Link said. He raised an eyebrow as the imp's blush deepened. _'You need to get your mind out of the gutter girl,_' he thought. "Come on Midna, I'm not gonna wait all day," he said. He so didn't need another girl that was fawning over him.

Midna's eyes narrowed. Not because she was angry at the human. No, she was pissed-off at herself. _'What in the darkness is wrong with you girl?'_ she asked herself. _'He's a human – a very hot human – he's a human and way to young for you…' _the internal conflict continued as the imp disappeared into the blonde's shadow.

Link walked up to the edge of the waterfall. Had he mentioned how stupid this was? He backed off and then he ran before he could change his mind. Leaping off the cliff and turning in mid-air, he hit the water surface feet first. He uncrossed his arms and swam towards the surface. _'That was amazing!'_ he thought as he could breathe again. He let out a shaky laugh. _'Shit that was scary.'_ He let the current lead him back down to the lake.

* * *

"And now I have to find another sixteen stupid bugs," Link groaned as he left the shade of Lanayru. He closed his eyes for a moment. The insects would be invisible to his human-eyes after all. There was a spark to his left and he followed the insect up a wooden ramp.

Crunch

He pulled his sword back out of the insect.

The tear settled within its slot in the Vessel of Light.

He walked up on a grass clad hill.

Thwomp!

Link clenched his jaw and groaned. "Shadow beasts," he said. "Of course there had to be shadow beasts here." He dashed past one of the blackened beasts and the arm off another. He turned after he'd cut the monster's head off. He held a hand out and flames danced around the beast's body. He shifted his sword from his left to his right hand and flames dance down the blade. "Oh, for Din's sake," he hissed as the second shadow beast grabbed his leg. "No… you… don't," he said as he stabbed his sword through the monster's skull. The flames along the blade spread out and consumed the black beast within moments. There was only one left now. He sprinted forward…

Drojalam … Midna appeared

Link dug the heels of his boots into the ground and lay down flat so he wouldn't bash into her. "Midna! Now is not a good time," he hissed at her. He rolled out of the shadow beast's way and stood up. "I'm fighting this idiot over there."

The monster lunged at him, and he stepped to the side before cutting its long black arm off.

"You're showing up mid battle… It could have ended really badly you know. Like the shadow beast had dragged you off badly," Link said as he rammed his sword through the beast's head.

Midna blinked in surprise. What was she supposed to say to a human teenager who berated her while casually killing a shadow beast, really? "I…" she fell quiet. "How did you manage to kill them without the last one waking the others anyway?"

Link snorted and shook his head. _'Of course she won't apologise… what were you expecting really?' _he thought. He pushed his sword back into its scabbard. "I burned their bodies," he answered the imp. He started walking. If he didn't get going, he would never get done.

The blond stopped. There had been sparks here… but where was the insect? The ground beneath his feet moved. _'It's underground,'_ he sighed. He looked over at Midna, who seemed to be deep in thought. At least she'd stopped blushing now. He held a hand out over the moving layer of dirt and closed his fist.

The tear floated up and settled in its slot.

"Got any clue where the next one is Midna," Link asked the imp.

Midna blinked. "Wha…?"

"You normally know where to look for the insects. Do you have any idea where the next one is?" Link asked.

The imp looked around. She focused her powers. "Over there somewhere. There is none around here anymore at least," she said with a wave of her hand.

"Are you going to float along or do you want to go back into my shadow?" Link asked as he pulled his boots off. He would have to swim to get to the next insect.

"I'll float," she answered absentmindedly.

Link shrugged and jumped into the clear lake water.

…

The fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth insect were dealt with from the kargarok's back.

"What's that? A bug?" a woman said shakily. "Eww, nasty! Why is it so big?!" Link ran his sword through the insect. "Huh…" she said. "It's gone? That was nasty… I hope it doesn't come back…"

Link walked over the floating bridge by the woman's house, past two Zoras and in to Zora's Domain. Two Insects were floating by some sort of greenery on the water surface. The blond reached out and water rose from the lake. It twisted around the insects and froze, killing the both of them instantly.

After that he had to transform back into the wolf.

Twelve

Thirteen

And fourteen

Then it took a while for the blond to remember that Hyrule Castle Town was a part of Lanayru Province too… _'How do I get there?'_ he wondered. He had walked out to the area where the scared woman had her house. _'The Zoras are gone,' _he noted. _'Wait, didn't they say something about Ralis and the only waterway to Hyrule Castle when I went by earlier?'_

Link didn't consider it any longer than that. He jumped in. If he was wrong, Midna could probably take him back to Lake Hylia.


	8. Under the Lake

**Under the Lake**

Castle Town looked no better without the twilight hanging over it than it had done with it. Link walked up on the wooden drawbridge slowly. The bright red banners that hung from the guard towers moved in the wind. He was back there because he'd seen Prince Ralis in town when he went there to kill the second to last shadow insect. He'd seen Ilia as well but tried not to think about that too much. _'Why do I have to go in there?'_ he asked himself. He didn't particularly enjoy bigger cities. He never had. They were always so loud and obnoxious. He really preferred the forest or even Hyrule Field where it was calmer, quiet.

Despite his reluctance to enter the town, Link had to give in eventually. Ralis could die if he didn't make it there in time and then Rutela wouldn't give him the protection of water and he would probably not be able to travel to the Water Temple.

Two sets of thick wooden double doors had to be passed in order to enter the town. Sound assaulted the blonde's ears. He could hear the close by bleat of goats over the buzz of people talking all around him. It set him on edge – that amount of people. _'Remind me again why I dislike towns,'_ he thought as a woman pushed past him hurriedly.

In the town square stood a big round fountain, it was sprouting cool clear water. The blond sat down on its stone edge slowly. He'd been on his feet for a day a day and a half? – now. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept. It was late but people were still running around trying to finish their errands. As he sat there two women walked past talking about a Zora child. _'Gossip hags,'_ Link thought. He disliked gossip quite a lot, but you couldn't expect much else from the grandson of the defeater of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. None of them liked gossipers. He ran his gloveless fingers through the clear water of the fountain slowly.

He sighed.

No matter how tired he was he still had to go find Ralis. The boy needed his help. Link stood up slowly. He walked leisurely down to the street that would lead him to the bar where the Zora boy was. His nose stopped him. _'Food,'_ he thought and turned around. A merchant still had his stall open despite the late hour. The blond walked over and started picking things up: fruit, bread, dried meat and cheese – as much as he could take with him without risking it going bad. He passed a florist and turned down a side alley.

Quiet

It was the first thing Link noticed. The overpowering noise of the city didn't exist down there. He breathed out tiredly. It was darker down there too. He smiled softly; he preferred it that way. He walked over to the bar door and opened it slowly. The warm fire light that streamed out through the door felt welcoming. "That is a Zora child! This is beyond my expertise! Hmmmph!" he heard a man say. He stepped inside and almost ran over an elderly man with big, thick, round glasses. He moved out of the man's way and looked up as a familiar voice said, "Doctor wait!" Ilia came running over. "If something isn't done, this child will…" The man was gone. Ilia seemed downcast as she walked back to the Zora boy. She turned to glance at Link but made no sign that she recognised him.

Link wore a blank face. _'I wonder if it is too early to thank Nayru that Ilia has lost her memories?'_ he thought. His attention was brought over to a big busted woman with mahogany-brown hair and green eyes as she said, "Well, this isn't good. A human doctor won't do, huh…" She turned to look at the crying Ilia. "That old coot reminded me, though… I've heard of a shaman in Kakariko Village, in the Eldin lands, who's tended Gorons and Zoras," she said.

Ilia turned to her, hope shining in her eyes. "Is that true?" she exclaimed. "Perhaps if we take him there…"

"Inadvisable! Too dangerous," a guard said.

Link almost jumped. _'By Din, where did you come from?'_ he wondered, his heart pumping faster. Scaring him was never a good idea. These guards were lucky he was a bit too concerned with the Zora right now to just lash out.

"But we can't turned a blind eye to a pretty girl in need, either," the guard said.

Link snorted quietly as he walked up behind the two females. He placed his hands over Ralis' chest and let his magic go deeper. He needed to know how bad the damage was before he could do anything about it. Taking the boy to Renado probably wouldn't be such a bad idea even if he himself could heal most of the physical damage. The soldier said something else in the background and his friends started a racket. The blond was glad he had his attention elsewhere.

But then the brunette woman was talking. "Oh, my!" she said.

Link blinked and looked up at her. He noticed that the soldiers were gone. _'Good riddance,'_ he thought.

"It looks like we've got one young swordsman left!" the woman said.

Link chuckled. "As long as you don't compare me to those cowardly guards," he said and looked over to the door the men had disappeared through.

"Oh, well," she raised an eyebrow and turned to Ilia. "It looks like this brave young man will escort us, so get ready to go, honey. Pronto!" the woman said.

Link waited until Ilia had left the room. He looked up at the woman. "We're not leaving tonight," he said determined. He placed his hands back over Ralis' chest and a white glow spread from his fingers out over the boy's body. "If we leave tonight I'll fall off the saddle. I won't be of any use to you without at least a night's rest," he said as his magic worked on the blue-skinned boy. "I'm healing what physical injuries he has tonight, and we can leave for Kakariko tomorrow morning."

The light faded, and Link staggered back and slumped against the wall behind him. He was exhausted. Sliding down against the wall, he buried his face in his hands and breathed heavily. He needed food and sleep.

Telma looked down at the blond. She could hear the Zora's breathing ease and he looked better after what the young man did to him. She could either not trust him and somehow try to get them to Kakariko herself, or she could trust him and wait until tomorrow. She walked off to inform Ilia of the change in plans.

An unknown amount of time later a bowl of stew was held out in front of the exhausted blond. "Eat," Telma said.

…

Link strapped his belt on before running a hand through his messy hair. He looked over at Ilia, who was sitting next to Ralis with a wet cloth in her hands. "Bless her heart…" the brunette woman said as she walked up to Link. "She found this poor boy collapsed in the road, so she did all she could to save him. There is more courage in that girl than all the soldiers of Hyrule, for sure!"

Link nodded slowly. Ilia had never lacked courage. She was just bloody annoying and wouldn't take a hint.

* * *

The ride to Kakariko Village was rather uneventful after Link had thrown the giant bulblin off the great bridge that stretched across Lake Hylia.

The group arrived in Kakariko by nightfall. Link jumped off Epona and walked up to the carriage that the busty woman had been driving there. He got up in the back and lifted the young Zora up slowly. He shifted his grip after he had gotten back out of the carriage. "Renado is usually in the sanctuary over there but I'll take the Zora up to the inn over there so he can lie down comfortably. Will you tell Renado what is going on?" he asked Ilia briskly.

The blond walked into the inn and up the stairs. He entered an empty room and placed Ralis down. Renado came into the room not long after, and Link walked up to him. "I've done what I can for him. The rest is up to you," he said quietly. He passed the man and walked out the door. He wasn't really up for company right now.

…

"You did a good job Link," Renado said as he came walking outside to where the blond was hiding. "He has passed through the worst of it. As long as he rests, he should recover in due time."

"That's good to hear…" Link said.

Renado stood there deep in thought for a moment. "Do you know the fate of his mother?" he asked.

Link turned to him, a crease between his brows.

"Her welfare concerns him. He has been mumbling deliriously about her almost constantly…" Renado said. He watched as the blonde's expression turned troubled. The young man didn't say anything though.

"I can see the knowledge grieves you. It must be an awful memory…"

Link shook his head. "That's not really it," he said. He sighed deeply. "I just don't think I should talk to anyone but young Ralis about it…"

Renado nodded slowly. "Colin said he'll stay with the boy… and the girl you brought with you…" he said searching for information.

"Ilia…" Link said. "She's from Ordon but… I believe she has lost her memories. It will be hard on the other children that she can't remember them."

"Regaining it will be no simple task," Renado said.

_'__I certainly hope not,'_ Link thought, but he didn't say anything about that. Renado bid him goodnight not long after that and wandered off. He would probably take another look at Ralis. The blond wandered around the village for a while. He kept to the shadows and away from any of the children. He didn't really feel like talking to any of them. He sort of tripped into Barnes' Bomb Shop at one point and bought water bombs. Water Temple – Water Bombs – Seemed logical somehow. He was walking along the only street in the village.

"Young warrior…" the busty woman called as she came running up to him.

Link turned towards her and stopped. "Yes?" he said questioningly.

"Those skills of yours… Any chance you're of the mind to put them to use for Hyrule?" she asked.

Link shrugged. "I guess that depends on what it is all about," he said.

The woman smiled. "What hope there is in our kingdom is frail and dying… but there is still a group trying to do what it can. And I'm a member of that group. Call me Telma," she said.

"Okay, Telma…" Link said. "I will consider your idea. There is much I still need to do but… who knows." He ran a hand through his hair.

"I may just stay here a bit longer," Telma said. "I'm still worried about Ilia and… Well, never mind about the rest." She cast a glance at Renado.

_'__No, I don't care if you want to accost Renado as long as you leave me out of it,'_ Link thought.

Telma turned back to the blond. "I want to see you again at my bar, you here me? The bar is actually a kind of safe house for my friends. There is even a passageway that leads to the castle from in there, as well," she said.

Link rolled his eyes with a smile. "I'll show up at some point I promise, and thank you for trusting me enough to tell me this," he said.

The brunette smiled at him. She started moving past him when she realised something. "If you ever need anything, stop by. I'll be waiting for you, honey!" she said, winked at him and ran off to talk to the shaman.

_'__Poor man,'_ Link thought as he looked over at them. He walked up to the inn and leaned against the railing. He was tired… Maybe it was time…

He felt eyes on him. The blond looked up and spun around. Rutela's spirit was hovering just a few feet away. He walked down and she floated off past the shaman's house and into the graveyard. He followed her up a set of stairs where she stopped for a moment by a strange looking stone. A closer examination revealed that the stone held the symbol of the Zora's Sapphire on it.

Shimmering blue light and the stone was gone revealing a hole big enough for Link to crawl through. He followed Rutela into a calm water filled oasis. It was quiet in there, serene. The Zora Queen's spirit had stopped next to a lone gravestone. Link pulled his tunic off and stepped out of his boots before jumping into the water. He could've frozen the water but it wouldn't have felt right in there. He pulled himself up before the gravestone and looked up at Rutela as she said, "I am deeply grateful to you for aiding my son in his time of need."

Link ran a hand through his hair so it wouldn't drip water down into his eyes. He cast a glance at the tombstone once more and noted that the Zora's Sapphire was etched into the shimmering stone.

"You were right to bring him here. Kakariko Village is a sacred place for the Zora people. It is where we take our eternal rest. My husband in life, King Zora, also rests his spirit here. It is no coincidence my son found his salvation in this place," the Zora said.

Link nodded. "I found it safest to bring him to someone who could make sure he'd survive. I'm not used to treating Zoras after all," he said softly.

Rutela nodded gently. "… That which I have promised you is within this grave. During his lifetime, my husband created garments specifically for the chosen hero, garments that house the abilities of the Zora," she said.

_'__As long as, I don't have to go tomb exploring,'_ Link thought as the gravestone in front of him moved aside. It revealed a small unassuming box. The blond lifted the box up and opened it slowly. Inside was a metal mask, similar to the ones he'd seen Zoras wearing, and a blue tunic with silver scales sewn into it. He closed the box and pushed it into a pouch. He'd take a closer look later.

"Now at last, I can join the king in slumber," Rutela said. Then her expression saddened. "And yet… my son… He still knows nothing of my death." She looked at Link with pleading eyes. "If you see him again, please pass on this message…" she asked of him. "Tell him he must not grieve his mother's passing. Tell him she wanted him to be brave and live on as the king of our people. And… Tell him his mother… loves him without end. Tell him…" she finished and faded.

Link backed away from the tombstone and jumped back into the water. He pulled himself up on the other side, stepped into his boots, picked up his tunic and left the oasis.

Drojalam… "Well, it's a good thing you found all of your friends and picked up that nifty Zora armour… but we really need to get going," Midna said impatiently.

Link turned around to face her. "I know Midna well be going to the Water Temple tomorrow," he said.

The imp nodded. "Good 'cause you remember what Faron said… He said you would need the Fused Shadows to defeat the dark overlord Zant and save the world," she said.

Link rolled his eyes. "I know I got it we'll leave early tomorrow but I could use another night of good sleep before taking that place on," he said.

* * *

Boom!

Link was sitting in the oasis once more. It was early, so early in fact that the sun was barely up yet. He had opened the box containing the Zora armour and was going through its contents. He had just gotten rid of a boulder that was standing in his way. _'No way, I'm going to wear all this stuff,'_ Link thought as he placed the flipper-boots out on the ground. He moved through the stuff trying to determine what would actually help him down in the temple. He could feel magic coming from the mask so he would most likely need that one. Then there was the dark-blue undershirt and leggings. It actually would look almost like a diver's outfit from Earth if he just took those pieces and the boots. He pulled the clothes on and stepped into the boots before putting the rest back into the box.

Running a hand through his blond hair and pulling a ribbon out of a pouch, Link putt his hair up in a tight knot before placing the bronze mask on. He moved the fabric of the tight shirt he was wearing up over his mouth and jumped into the clear water. _'A dark tunnel fantastic,'_ he thought sarcastically. He made certain that the diving suit he was wearing sat on properly before he started swimming through the tunnel.

After a while, the water around him started moving fast towards the exit. The blond could feel his body being pulled along. Seeing no reason to stop it, he simply allowed the water to carry him out off the tunnel.

He tuned around as clear-blue sky could be seen above. The path he'd travelled by led to just beneath a small waterfall. Its clear water reflected the rays from the sun and almost blinded him. _'Way to bright,'_ he thought and looked around.

He knew that he had to deal with the temple at the bottom of the lake, but he wanted to know how the white beast was doing first. He looked around trying to figure out just where in the lake he was. He saw the bridge above the water and realised that he was on the wrong side off it. "Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming," Link sang softly as he took off towards the rock formation he needed to go too. "Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim."[1] He was swimming towards the cluster of islands he'd left the beast by.

There was a splash and a young man with a bronze-coloured Zora mask pulled himself up on a grass clad platform. He pulled down a dark-blue fabric from his mouth and looked around. Narrowing his eyes, the blond walked forward and as he did so his skin shimmered and he turned into a great sand-coloured beast. He sniffed the air. _'Now where has he disappeared off to?'_ he wondered as he took a few steps.

The wolf jumped over to another island and sniffed at the ground. The scent was stronger there. He was walking slowly, his senses on high alert. The beast was big, and he was not taking any chances.

RAWR!

Link jumped out of the way and turned around. He shifted back to human and raised his hands, palms out. "I'm not here to hurt you," he said softly. He stayed like that despite the beast growling at him. His voice was soft as he spoke and his movements slow. Eventually he sat down on the ground. He removed his belt slowly and started sorting through his pouches. He had made a right mess in there over the past couple of weeks.

The blond froze as a wet snout pressed against his neck. His heart skipped a beat and he had to force himself to keep breathing normally.

The beast was sniffing him. He reached out and grabbed a bottle filled with fresh water and placed it into the food pouch. He took the boomerang and stuffed it into the pouch that held weapons he didn't need quick access to. The beast kept sniffing him where he sat. "I wish I knew what to call you," he said softly.

The beast snorted before moving away from him and laying back down in the grass.

Link watched it move. He grabbed the last few items on the ground and dropped them into a pouch. He stood up. "I have to take care off something now…" he said softly.

The beast turned his head towards the human. Intelligent eyes followed as the blond walked over to the edge of the ledge they were staying on.

Link turned as he reached the cliff edge. "I don't know how long I'll be but… I'll be back… I promise," he said.

The white being placed his head back down on the ground and yawned.

The blond chuckled softly. "Good bye," he said before jumping off the cliff and into the water.

…

Deeper and deeper the blond human swam. He went until he could go no further. There were several Zora down there. Link swam up to one of them.

"Can you see the bubbles rising from the depths? It's dangerous to swim too close. That current is strong enough to carry away most people…"

Link looked down at the streams of bubbles. "I guess I'll have to be careful then," he said. He didn't feel like having to swim all the way back down here again. "Thank you for the warning," he told the Zora before diving deeper.

There were blocks of cut stone forming a sort of built wall in the rock face. A Zora was located not far from a sand-coloured boulder that did not match the blue tinted stone around it.

"How come there is a rock placed over there?" Link asked the water dweller.

The Zora looked over at him – or at least Link thought so. The Zora was wearing a bronze mask that covered its face. – "The place beyond this rock is sacred to my people. It was once called the Zora Temple. But now it has been over run by monsters… They're everywhere… All we could do was seal them in so they do not bring darkness to others…"

"Oh, O.K." Link rolled his eyes. All this talk about darkness being bad was getting on his nerves.

BOOM!

BOOM!

Link smiled as what was left of the rock blocking his path fell to the lakebed. The Zora he'd talked to said something along the lines of it being to dangerous to enter the temple, but the blond ignored the warning.

Another dark tunnel, seaweed and corals, Link swam on through the depths. Beneath him, on the rocky ground, he could see a shell blade.

When he cut the muscle ligament, that held its clam like shell together off, the water around him turned purple before the monster disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. He swam forward and passed two bari that were sending out an electrical current around their bodies. The path had started leading upwards and he broke through the water surface not long after.

A mosaic wall with the Zora's Sapphire engraved on it and big purple goo that was moving about met him as he pulled himself out off the water. He pulled his sword and cut the chuchu apart. The sword was pushed back down into its scabbard before the blond ran up a set of stairs and threw himself off grabbing a golden leaver.

Thud!

The gate behind him moved aside and more gooey chuchu appeared – blue this time.

…

"The seaweed is always greener in somebody else's lake," Link sang quietly as purple mist spread from the shell blade in front of him. "You dream about going up there, but that is a big mistake," he continued. The seaweed around him swayed softly. He'd found another not so annoying use for the iron boots. His steps echoed around him in the water as he walked. "Just look at the world around you right here on the ocean floor. Such wonderful things surround you what more is you lookin' for?" he sang as he took his boots off. He swam upwards and pulled out his clawshot. He aimed it at a bari and fired. The monster's nucleus exploded in a cloud of smoke as it reached him.

"Under the sea, under the sea. Darling it's better down where it's wetter. Take it from me,"[2] Link sang. Then he blinked. _'Is that a … bombfish?'_ he wondered. He grabbed the hilt of his sword and drew it, cutting the strange fish in the process. It stated sparkling, and he moved back so he wouldn't get caught in the blast.

BOOM! The bombfish took out a large rock.

The blond swam through and looked around. _'Now where am I supposed to go?'_ he asked himself. There was another mismatching rock beneath him. He moved down and stopped just above a patch of forked seaweed. Reaching down into one of his pouches, he soon pulled up a water bomb. _'I do wonder how they make these work really,'_ he thought. _'And why do they look like bombfish?' _He pulled a little fin-looking pin out off the bomb, dropped it and swam upwards.

BOOM! The bomb exploded leaving the path free.

Link swam down and through the opening. He got tangled in some long swaying seaweed for a moment. _'Really?'_ he thought irritably. He pulled himself free and scanned the area. There was nothing in there. _'Or it is above the water surface. There is supposed to be a room around here,'_ he thought. He swam up and pulled himself onto a ledge. The floor was tiled: sand and blue. An ever-burning torch hung on the wall next to a door. Unlike the doors in the previous two temples the once around here he had to lift up rather than roll aside. A strange symbol; a part of it looked like a conch shell.

Link moved the Zora bronze mask up and walked forward. He placed his hands on the door and pushed.

A chu worm sat in its water bubble on the other side of the door. It screeched as a bomb exploded right next to it, evaporating the water around it. Jumping about, the chu worm tried to find a place to hide now that its safe bubble was gone, but sharp steel cut through its segmented body before it could find one.

Link put his sword away and looked around. The Zora's sapphire decorated a seal on the floor. He could hear the flipping of fins down below. _'There must be a way…'_ he looked up. There was a pull-switch hanging from the ceiling. The blond pulled out his clawshot and aimed it at the red centre of the golden switch.

Catchank!

The seal disappeared beneath Link. He lowered himself down slowly until his feet hit firm ground. The sound of flipping fins was louder down there. He released the clawshot and placed a hand on the black horned chest in front of him. On the centre of the lid a red gem gleamed faintly. The blond knew before he opened the chest that it would contain the key to the temple's boss.

Since the seal above him had closed once he let go of the switch, Link assumed he would have to find another way out. He grimaced at the water. It was most likely full of skullfish. _'Well, I'm not going in there with those little creeps swimming around,'_ he thought. He held a hand out over the water and focused on his magic. Lightning leaped from his fist and down into the water. Soon enough, it was quiet in the room.

Link sat down slowly. He needed a break and some food before continuing with this. His thoughts went to the white beast that he'd saved. He still didn't know why he'd done it. With the strange pitch-black hole that seemed to go straight through its body, the creature could very well be dangerous. It wasn't exactly your regular injured animal.

But the beast hadn't attacked him, and even though he was uncertain if it could understand him, he somehow knew that it was at least as intelligent as a human. _'Maybe he doesn't speak Hylian,'_ Link thought. It occurred to him that despite the fact that he spoke several languages he'd only spoken to the beast in Hylian. _'I'll have to try something else next time I see him,'_ he decided.

…

Link woke up from his nap. "Boss time," he said with fake enthusiasm, "yay." He put the Zoran bronze mask back on and pulled the fabric of the diver's suit up over his mouth and nose before jumping into the water.

Through a door and past two bari, Link made his way. It didn't take him long to get back to the previous room.

There were two giant, turning wheels, that you had to use the clawshot to travel by, and a bottomless pit. Though the pit couldn't very well be bottomless because then the lake would get drained as the water that now ran through the temple poured into it.

Catchank!

It was kind of uncomfortable to hang like that for a longer period of time. Link pushed the bar inside the clawshot's hand guard and made the chain extend slowly. He landed on one of the many small platforms in the room. From there he shot himself to the second wheel and was soon climbing a set of green and red vines.

Splash, splash, splash

He ran through the shallow stream of water out of the room.

* * *

Link watched as Morpheel swam around aimlessly. He had delivered a highly electric strike to the boss' eye. It crashed into a wall creating cracks in the big mosaic tiles. The water in the room disappeared slowly as it pored out through the cracks. The blonde's feet touched sand. He was standing not to far away from the body of the dead Morpheel. The boss' body shattered. Black specks filled the air for a moment before they zoomed together forming the Fused Shadow.

Link reached out and caught the strange armour piece. From his shadow, a shape appeared.

"There it is! The last Fused Shadow…" Midna said. Her strange magical mass of hair moved out and formed a dark-orange hand. It grabbed the Fused Shadow from Link. "I'll just take that, thanks!" she said. "I appreciate you helping me get this. I really NEED this thing!"

"No problem, Midna," Link said. "I don't want it anyway… you know."

Midna gave a ghostly smile. "Besides, we have to do something about Zant, the one who thinks he is the king of shadows… His power is a false one," she said confirming one of Link's long held beliefs. Midna had ruled the Twilight. He chuckled as the imp said, "I'll prove it using these!"

"Yeah, well, first we have to find him, Midna," Link said.

Midna gave a short nod. "So… we really should get going," she said. She watched as the blond took a staggering step forward. "Are you feeling alright?" she asked.

Link took a deep breath. "It's nothing not some good rest and a meal can fix," he reassured her. "We can leave now…"

* * *

[1] Owned by Disney from Finding Nemo

[2] Owned by Disney from The Little Mermaid


	9. Light Orb and Shadow Shard

**Light Orb and Shadow Shard**

Warning for crude language – the new character is that way don't blame me. ;)

And pardon the French… no really I mean it! I do not speak French and my little sister, who helped me with this, is studying it as her third language.

* * *

Eyes blinked open slowly.

The human had returned. He could feel him. Though he still wondered why the human felt like no other human he'd ever encountered not even… _'Annoying brat,'_ he thought.

This human had healed him, not that he was entirely certain he cared about that but… _'What the hell was that?' _he wondered. The air around him changed and turned strangely orange. He tilted his head to the side as if listening to something. Another presence had joined the human. It was similar to the one the human carried with him but strange… corrupt almost. The scent of its power left a bad taste in his mouth.

He used his Sonído and landed on a wooden ramp. Stepping off it, he walked past a snake statue.

It felt good to have his true form back. The animal form was good for running, but it reminded him of his past… of his weaknesses.

He entered the cave before him.

The human lay on the ground, a small female figure sitting by his side.

He took another step forward just as the third figure in the cave raised his hand. Nose scrunched against the smell and eyes suspicious. He watched as the imp was dragged over to the water in there. "Qu'est-ce qui se passe ici?" he asked.

The figure turned to him as a bright light flooded the cave. The person said something in that annoying language the human spoke but the only thing he could understand of it was the tone. The stinking figure had talked down to him.

The girl screamed.

"Éteignez la lumière avant que je l'éteins pour toi!" he hissed. He was irritated, but before he could fire off a Cero at the guy, he felt a powerful aura surround him and the light disappeared.

* * *

Link landed inside Lanayru spring. He grabbed the bronze mask he was still wearing and pulled it off. He turned around. "What the…" he breathed.

There was a person standing there – male by the look of it. He was wearing big baggy black clothes and an ugly chameleon mask.

Link took a step back and the spring behind him started glowing.

Lanayru's bright light filled the cave, and the blond was glad that he wasn't facing the spirit. The person before him didn't even flinch but then again his mask most likely covered his eyes. A long black sleeve with jade symbols was raised, and a shockwave knocked both the human and the spirit back.

Green eyes blurred, but Link did notice how twilight returned around him. He could feel how his body started to change like always and had to focus all his power on stopping it. As he struggled with his magic, Midna appeared beside him. She stared up at the black clad figure. "Zant!" she hissed angrily. Her body was dragged up from the ground and her hands locked above her head. She struggled but there was nothing she could do. Then her eyes widened as the Fused Shadows left her. _'Shit,'_ she thought.

"Did you honestly mean to take an ancient and withered power like this and turn it against me?" Zant asked amused. His voice sharpened as he said, "You are a foolish traitor, Midna. Why do you defy your King?"

"My KING?" Midna yelled angrily. "You, who do nothing but abuse the magic of your tribe? You must be joking!" She was seething. _'I am so going to…'_

"How dare you?!" Zant exclaimed. "Are you implying that my power is… our old magic? Now THAT is a joke!" he spat the last part. He raised a hand and Midna sailed past him. He slammed her small body into the ground.

Green eyes blinked open. A deep breath was taken. _'Midna is in danger,'_ Link thought as he got up on his feet and launched his body forward. A strange red orb shattered against his chest. His body screamed in agony. He stumbled back and collapsed on the ground.

"Link," Midna whispered. Her body was pulled up and pressed against Zant's iron clad shoulder. "My Midna," the so-called-king-of-twilight said. "Did you forget? That thing is one of the light dwellers who oppressed our people. No matter how much you may desire otherwise, you will never be more than a shadow in their world. You cannot consort with their kind!"

_'__You make it sound like I want to marry the guy or something,'_ Midna thought. _'He's way too young for me… no matter how hot he is.'_ Her mind zoned out for a moment. When she returned to reality, Zant was saying, "…light and darkness will meet at last. Our tribe will take back their realm… and sweet darkness will blot out this harsh light! And that, Midna is why…" his mask opened and a harsh rotten stench reached Minda's nose, "…I need you," he said. "Not just for me, but for all of our people… Lend me your power."

_'__Forget it,'_ Midna thought as she finally broke free from his grip. She landed on the grass clad ground and stepped over to Link. "Please tell me you're O.K." she whispered. She touched his cheek before placing both her small hands on the shard that was digging its way into his chest.

"So be it…" Zant said behind her. "I will return you to the light would you covet!"

Midna was pulled back up from the ground and held out in front of the spring's water.

A smooth voice travelled through the cave.

Zant turned slightly. "And what do we have here?" he asked, "another little pathetic pet of yours Midna." He released his hold on the light spirit.

Lanayru emerged from the spring, shining brightly.

A scream in pain.

A bright light.

And then darkness.

…

Link opened his eyes slowly. He was a wolf once more. A weight was settled on his back and a voice floated through the air. "Link, hero chosen by the goddesses…" it said. "Go to the princess locked away in the castle. That princess holds the key that can unlock you from your shadow form…"

_'__Yeah, like I can't do that myself,'_ Link thought. He turned his head from side to side checking his surroundings.

"L'enfer… qu'est-ce qui est arrivé maintenant?" he heard someone ask.

_'__I know that language,'_ he thought. He turned around and his entire body froze. There was a blue-haired Adonis standing there. A muscular chest could be seen past the raged white jacket he was wearing. He carried a sword in the black belt of his white hakama. Cerulean-blue eyes were rimmed by jade.

It was the beast. It had to be. He smelled the same.

Blue met green. "Are you just goin' to stand there and stare at me or what?" the man asked impatiently in French.

Link shook himself out off his stupor and snorted. He looked back over his shoulder at the visible imp. He shrugged her off his back as gently as he could. He didn't want to cause her any more harm. His claws dug into the soft dirt beneath his paws as he closed his eyes. His magic was all wonky. _'What on Earth has happened?' _he wondered. It took him several minutes to get a hold of his magic and force the change.

Fur shimmered and changed to skin. Link stood up slowly. His muscles felt stiff and his magic didn't flow the way it was supposed to. _'This is going to create problems,'_ he thought and looked down at his hands. His eyes widened. His hands and arms were covered in the same kind of strange pattern as Midna's body.

Pain flashed through his mind and he took a step back. Unfortunately for him the only person he knew who could possibly answer the many questions that he had was lying on the ground near his feet. And she was in no condition to answer them right now.

Green eyes looked up at the bluenet. "So you speak French then?" he asked calmly.

The bluenet, who had been looking off in the distance actually waiting for the human to return to his true form, had started thinking that the human was stuck in his beast form when he was addressed. He turned his gaze back to the blond. His eyes twitched slightly as he saw the strange glowing pattern that moved over the man's skin. "You're not incapable of regular speech then," he said rudely. "That mumbo-jumbo you were talking earlier was…" he narrowed his eyes on a spot behind the blond. He sneered and Sonído-ed to a spot behind the human. His sword was out of its scabbard and he was back before Link could blink.

The blond could hear the small explosion as a monster died behind him. _'That was fast,'_ he thought wide-eyed. "I can speak several languages from Earth," he said almost shakily. "I was born there. The language I was speaking earlier is the language of this world, Hyrule."

The bluenet tsked. "Like I care," he said.

Link rolled his eyes. He sat down next to Midna. The exhaustion he'd felt earlier was coming back to him. Tchik! An arrow landed a few feet away from him. "Oh, for…" he said. He held a hand out in the direction of a bulblin. "Die," he hissed. His magic leaped from his body and crashed into the green-skinned monster. An inferno spread in a three feet radius around the beast.

The bluenet raised an eyebrow. That he hadn't expected. The human seemed to pack some power after all. He had appeared quite pathetic this time around. He looked around. He wasn't overly fond of company, but he knew absolutely nothing about this place _'or that stinking creep,'_ and if the human was telling the truth they all spoke that gibberish he'd been spouting earlier. He sat down next to the human. What else was he supposed to do really? He couldn't open a Garganta so he couldn't get back to Hueco Mundo. Not that he was overly interested in returning there. _'Fucking Aizen was controlling me with that damn Zanpakutō of his,'_ he thought angrily. He was going to tear that Shinigami to pieces the next time he saw him.

"Do you want some?" Link asked as he held food out to the bluenet. He received a grunt and the other man grabbed what he'd offered. "My name is Link by the way," he said before going back to his food.

Grimmjow looked at the human blankly for a moment. Was he going to tell the guy his name… "Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez," he said before ripping a piece of meat apart with his sharp teeth.

"A last name too, fancy Grimmjow," Link said. "They usually don't use last names around here… but mine is Slytherin unless we somehow manage to end up in Japan then its Yoarashi."

Grimmjow snorted. **_"You can speak Japanese as well then?" _**he said in Japanese.

**_"_****_Hai, I speak Japanese," _**Link answered. "We should stick to one language though," he said in French this time.

Grimmjow shrugged, like he cared really. "You know who the creep was back there?" he asked the human. The more information he could gather the better.

"Xanto the so called King of Twilight," Link answered. "He's creating a mess and is being generally annoying. Midona – the imp over there – knows more about him than I do though. Unfortunately she isn't feeling too good so now I have to take her to the shit-for-brains princess that lives in that castle over there," he waved towards Hyrule Castle. "There is no way I can do that before I get some rest though. I have been up for way too long and meeting Xanto after fighting a big ass monster hasn't helped any," he said and lay down. "Are you planning to stick around Grimmjow?" he asked softly. He turned his head towards the bluenet.

Grimmjow shrugged.

Link chuckled softly. "I guess I'll know in the morning," he said with a yawn. His green eyes closed slowly.

The bluenet turned back to the human. It was strange how at ease the other was with him. Most people wouldn't be able to be that relaxed, and the few that weren't affected by his power were all arrogant assholes who looked down on him. He sneered at the thought of them. Meeting someone like … Link was rare.

Grimmjow's temper had mellowed somewhat after Aizen's power over him had faded. Not that he was the calmest of people, but he would probably have killed the human the first time he was strong enough to do so if he was still in Las Noches. Here, however, he hadn't. The human had healed his injuries. _'Injuries that could have killed me.'_ He had been able to feel the gentle power as he woke up the first time. It had been nothing like anything he'd ever felt before.

His blue eyes drifted over to the human's sleeping form. The shape of his body could be seen through the tight fabric he was wearing. Honey-blond hair had spread out around his head. His face had softened in sleep. Grimmjow could almost feel the turmoil that was going on with his power. It was strange. It hadn't felt like that before. Something must have happened in that cave with stinky… or possibly before that.

The feline man got up from the ground. He couldn't sit still. There were some kind of creatures moving around the area they were in. Since he'd seen Link killing one of them, he assumed they were fair game.

Come morning there would be none left.

…

The sky was cloudy.

There was a heaviness in the air that spoke of rain.

Link sat up slowly. His body was stiff. _'Remind me not to sleep on hard ground after a boss fight ever again,' _he thought. He moved into his favourite meditative stance. The flow of his magic still felt strange to him, but it had settled some since the day before. Everything felt different though. He would have to work with his magic so he could regain his control. He didn't like not knowing what his magic would do when he used it. It was like being a kid all over again, but this time his Grandpa wasn't there to help him.

The blond moved his body through a number of stretching exercises. He knew he couldn't stay for much longer. Midna needed help pronto. Green eyes opened and he stood up slowly. He lifted the imp's limp body up from the ground. Her skin was all white and clammy. Her breath came in short bursts.

_'__I really hope that Zelda can help you because I have no clue how to do it,'_ Link thought. He walked over to the stream that ran down from Zora River. He placed Midna back down and pulled his swim suit off. He was not going to wear that any longer than he had to. He might have to get the imp to the castle quickly but he also needed a bath, and he needed to actually wake up before he left.

Splash!

Cool and clear, the water moved slowly towards Hyrule Castle. The blond swam back to the surface. He soaked for a few minutes, just floating around, before he made his way back to the riverbank. He placed his hands flat on the ground. Gathering his magic, he aimed to have the water in the river carry him up on dry land.

Splash!

_'__Well that worked… sort of,'_ he thought as he shook water out off his hair.

…

Grimmjow was walking back to where he'd left the human and the imp. His eyes scanned over the plain, and he noticed that they weren't still in that spot which probably meant that the human was awake. He ended his next Sonído next to the river and looked down into the water.

Splash!

He shook water off his arms. "What the fuck…"

"Oh, shit! I'm sorry," Link voice reached the drenched man.

The bluenet rid himself off most of the excessive water before looking down at the human. He raised an eyebrow and gave the blond a onceover. "Are you planning on walking around like that? He asked with a lecherous smirk.

A bright blush spread over the blonde's cheeks. His eyes were wide. _'What … is he…' _he thought before his brain kicked into gear. He took a deep breath. "Yeah, why not? You got a problem with that?" he asked boldly.

Grimmjow's smirk widened. "Tsk, course not," he said. He reached out and grabbed Link's neck. Pulling the teen closer he whispered, "But you're goin' to have to watch out 'cause I might decide you'd look good beneath me screamin' my name," huskily in the blonde's ear.

Link's breath hitched. His eyes had widened. _'Grimmjow's warm…' _he noticed. _'Oh, Nayru get a hold of yourself, Link,'_ he thought. He blinked slowly and breathed in. "You know," he said shakily, "I might not mind that at all." The bluenet was chuckling as he let him go, and he stepped back. He met the taller man's gaze. He could feel his cheeks burn. There was no way he'd act like some kind of unsure idiot no matter how much of a virgin he was, though. "Now really isn't the time for that though," he said with a disappointed sigh. "Not while Midona is still in such a critical condition anyway. She's saved my life… now it's my time to save hers."

Grimmjow watched the blond as he walked over to his things. He liked the blonde's attitude. No bullshiting and despite being embarrassed the teen still managed to give an audacious reply. And he wasn't joking either. He'd meant what he said.

Link pulled his tunic over his head. Thoughts – and not clean ones – were flying through his head. He was sure that he'd heard the bluenet's voice before _'but where? I just met him yesterday,'_ he wondered. He fastened his belt and baldric before walking over to Midna and picking her limp body up. He turned to Grimmjow. "Are you coming with me, or am I going to have to constantly keep a watch over my shoulder in case you decide to have your wicked way with me?" he asked.

The bluenet snorted. "Keeping a watchful eye out won't help you if I decide to fuck you bitch," he said as he started walking.

Link rolled his eyes playfully. He turned towards the bridge leading over the river and started walking as Grimmjow reached him. The other's crude language didn't really faze him.

They walked in silence.

Drip… … Drip… Drip… drip.

"Drip, drip, drop

Little April shower

Beating a tune as you fall all around

Drip, drip, drop

Little April shower

What can compare with your beautiful sound?

Beautiful sound, beautiful sound

Drip, drop, drip, drop

Drip, drip, drop

When the sky is cloudy

Your pretty music will

Brighten the day[1]"

"You're awfully perky for someone who's goin' to get drenched," Grimmjow muttered. While he didn't mind water, he hated rain. He sneered up at the sky.

Link smiled softly at the bluenet. "I'd fix it if my magic would just cooperate with me, but right now I'm afraid I might hurt you instead of warding the rain off," he said. "I'm going to need some time after this to work out what's happened to my core." He looked back at the path.

They had almost reached Castle Town.

"Core?"

"Magical core, my powers flow from a single point almost like the heart… or at least it used to. I don't really know if that is the case anymore though." He shrugged and looked over to the taller man. "You are from Earth are you not? I mean you speak French and Japanese…"

"Technically I guess…" Grimmjow's eyes wandered as he became lost in thoughts. _'Where do I come from?' _he wondered. His memory of any time before the white sands of Hueco Mundo was blurry at best. He felt a warm weight on his shoulder.

"It's O.K." Link said smiling softly. "You don't need to tell me anything you don't feel comfortable talking about." He shifted the imp in his arms and walked up on the wooden bridge that would take into Castle Town.

Because of the rain that was falling heavily, there weren't all that much people walking around. It was probably a good thing. Link watched as Grimmjow looked at the few humans that were out despite the weather in contempt. "Weak," he heard the bluenet say. He rolled his eyes. "Of course they're weak, Grimmjow," he said catching the man's attention.

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow at the blond.

"If there weren't weak people around," Link said with a smirk, "then how would strong people know they were strong? Weak people are needed in this world. They deal with things we would never do."

"You call yourself strong then?" Grimmjow asked with a scoff.

Link blinked and raised an eyebrow at the bluenet. "For the moment I would say strong and uncontrolled. I could probably trigger an earthquake that would kill every man, woman, and child in this town within minutes by accident right now," he said.

Silence spread between them.

Grimmjow was considering the blonde's words. If he was capable of destroying the entire town by accident he was packing quite a lot of power. He of course wouldn't simply take the boy's word for it but he wouldn't ignore it either. That would be foolish.

They were walking down towards Telma's bar when Grimmjow spoke once more, "The Castle it the other way. Why the fuck are we goin' this way?"

Link looked over his shoulder at the dripping wet man. "A gut feeling," he said and the bluenet looked at him questioningly. "There is more to what's going on around here than just Xanto, and I get a feeling that whatever it is is in that castle. I don't want to barge through the front door especially when I'm not certain what to expect… We're going this way because the woman who owns this bar told me that there is a secret passageway leading to the castle from here," he said as they stopped in the small square outside of Telma's bar. "I don't much feel like socialising with whoever is in there though," he added as his sensitive ears picked up several voices coming from inside the bar. "I wish I could shadow," he murmured.

"Shadow?" Grimmjow asked curiously.

"It's a magical technique my Grandpa can use. It is a form of fast transportation… almost like what you did yesterday only it relies on darkness or shadows to work not sound like yours," Link said.

"Sonído," Grimmjow said absentmindedly as he processed what the human had told him.

"What?"

"It's called Sonído, what I can do…" he fell silent and turned around. "The cat's talking to you," he said and pointed over to a fluffy white feline that had appeared on top of a set of crates standing by a wall.

Link sighed and rubbed his face in annoyance. "I don't speak cat in human form and with the way my magic has been acting…" he met Grimmjow's eyes. "I don't really want Zelda to know that I can turn back and forth between my forms. Can you turn back into your feline form? We could travel the rest of the way like that."

Grimmjow contemplated it for a moment. He could just say no and not go with the human but… _'When did I start caring?'_ he wondered. In the end he decided that he might as well go along. There really wasn't much else he could do around there and his powers still hadn't recovered fully. Besides…he was interested in just what the human was capable of doing once he'd regained control of his powers. "I can turn back and forth at will," he answered the blonde's question.

Link nodded. He moved Midna's body around and took a deep breath before his skin rippled and there stood a big golden wolf in his stead. He turned to the white cat. 'Well met,' he said.

'Link,' the cat said. 'I'm Louise. Do you remember meeting me in this bar before? Though I don't think we were properly introduced back then…'

'Yes, Louise I remember,' Link said. He turned slightly as a much bigger feline stepped up beside him.

'Lord of Felines I greet you,' Louise said.

Grimmjow gave an approving nod but didn't say anything.

Louise turned back to Link. '… In any case…' she looked up at Midna. 'Oh… Another patient? You certainly are a curious sort…'

Link almost jumped out off his fur when the imp on his back moved. "Plea…Please…" she whispered. "Princess…Z-Zelda…" She drifted off again, and Link watched as Louise walked over to the crates. 'This way!' she said and jumped up. 'Here get in through the window. The attic is connected to the castle's waterway. It's an old waterway, though… so it could be a rough trip.'

'Don't worry about it we can handle it,' Link told her.

'Well… I suppose all that's left to do is make sure that the humans don't notice you,' Louise said and jumped back inside.

Link's muscles tensed and he jumped up on the crates. He stepped into the warmth of the bar, closely followed by Grimmjow. The feline looked relieved to be out off the cold rain.

The wolf looked around. There were some pots up there and ropes that went between the different platforms. 'You can just Sonído over there can't you?' he asked, Grimmjow.

The panther grinned and disappeared.

_'__Of course he can,'_ Link thought as the feline reappeared on the other side of the room.

It didn't take long for Link to join the panther, but the path the wolf had to take was quite a lot trickier. 'Show off,' he muttered.

'Ballerina,' Grimmjow returned.

'Balle… you know what it was more like tightrope walking – not dancing,' Link said.

The panther shrugged. 'So what are those idiots down there talking about?' he asked. He had been standing there listening to them for a while now but they were speaking that gibberish the blond called Hylian.

'Me,' Link answered. 'They are talking about stuff I've done recently. Telma, the busty woman over by the bar, wanted me to join this group and help keep Hyrule safe or something like that.'

Grimmjow snorted. 'You mean they want someone to blame when things go wrong,' he said cynically.

Link nodded slowly. He didn't doubt that at all. That's what people were like after all. He'd seen it himself with his Grandfathers.

…

'Enemy,' Link growled.

Grimmjow launched forward and the silvery ghost with its scythe died within seconds. 'Another weak ass enemy,' he snorted. 'Don't you have something tougher around here?'

Link rolled his eyes. 'Well, if we can find another temple I promise that you can get the boss inside. The three I've found so far have at the very least caused me harm,' he said. Then he looked around. There was money and jewels everywhere. It covered the floor and lay in heaps around the room. On a red throne-like chair in the middle of the room sat a golden man.

The blond sniffed around. Telma and Louise had both told him that there was a waterway to the castle from here. He walked up to a chest. 'Can you hear that?' he asked Grimmjow.

The feline tilted his head. He sighed deeply and then his body shifted. He walked up to the chest and ripped the lid open. 'What pathetic moron places a secret passage like this?' still speaking beast-tongue. He shifted back into his white armoured panther form and jumped after Link down into the dark hole.

They met rats and skulltulas which Grimmjow turned back into his human form to deal with. "Fucking spiders," he muttered in French as he pulled his sword out of a spider.

Hoards of bats and a couple of bulblins.

It was hard not to be awed by the feline's fighting style. Link had never before met someone who could fight like that. He guessed that his Grandfathers had been capable of something similar but even they would not have been as ruthless as Grimmjow was. No, the bluenet was used to fighting. It had to be something he did all the time – and it was obvious that he was used to stronger opponents. Of course he himself found these monsters rather tame too and could kill them quite easily. But it still was nothing like Grimmjow.

The feline ran ahead of him and Midna, taking the monsters out as he went. It was a good thing too. It was difficult enough making sure that the imp didn't fall off his back when he jumped. He didn't need the added pressure of fighting as well.

The wind was blowing strongly outside.

'Now where the fuck do we go?' Grimmjow asked as he looked around.

'Don't worry,' Link said. 'I've been here before. I know where to go.'

…

_'__I wonder why it always has to rain around here,'_ Link thought as they walked over the last rooftop. 'In here and up the stairs,' he told Grimmjow before jumping inside.

'Finally out off that ruddy rain,' the bluenet said as he landed next to Link.

'You shouldn't complain. You at least don't have fur that gets all wet,' the blond said miserably.

'Hmph, drenched rat.'

'Hey! Watch it!' Link exclaimed. He didn't do anything else though. He might have if he didn't still carry Midna. He walked past the feline and up the stairs to those ridiculous double doors. He pushed one of the doors open and walked inside.

Midna's limp body fell off the wolf's back. Link turned around to face her. He hoped it wasn't too late for her. He could feel the feline's warmth moving up behind him.

'There is a woman here,' the panther said.

'Oh…yes, that would be Princess Zelda,' Link said.

The bluenet couldn't help but pick up on the dislike in the blonde's voice and the way that the wolf's ears drew back when he mentioned the woman's name. He sat down next to the canine and watched as the human female placed a hand on the imp.

"Please…Please tell me… How do we break… the curse on this one?" Midna whispered in Hylian.

Link almost snorted. 'What curse, Midna?' he asked humorously. 'I'm fine and you should know that.'

'And the imp started understanding beast when?' Grimmjow said.

'Hush with…'

'Oh, watch out strange glowing hand approaching.'

Link looked over to Zelda. 'It's her part of the Triforce… I'll explain later,' he mumbled to Grimmjow as the woman said, "What binds him is a different magic than what transformed him when he first passed the curtain of twilight. It is an evil power."

'Oh, you hear that Grimmjow. I'm going to turn evil since an evil power is melding with my own,' Link said sarcastically.

Grimmjow snorted. _'Like I got any of that; it could just as well be birds singing for all I get out of this,'_ he thought. But he didn't get a chance to say anything before the woman started talking again.

"Our world is one of balance… Just as there is light to drive away darkness, so, too, is there benevolence to banish evil," she said.

Link groaned internally.

"Head for the sacred grove that lies deep within the lands guarded by the spirit Faron. There you will find the blade of evil's bane that was crafted by the wisdom of the ancient sages… the Master Sword. The Master Sword is a sacred blade that evil can never touch. Evil cloaks you like a dark veil… and that blade is the only thing that can cleave it. Link… Hero sent by the goddesses… Like you, I have been granted special powers by the goddesses…"

"Fine… Link… You can… You can get to the woods… on your own, right?" Midna said.

'I'm not so sure I'm going there Midna,' Link said. At Grimmjow's questioning glance he added, 'I'll fill you in when we leave.'

The feline nodded. He yawned and lay down. It really wasn't very interesting to hang around people who spoke gibberish.

"Princess… I have one last request… Can you tell him… where to find the Mirror of Twilight?"

'Why so silent?' Grimmjow asked.

Link shrugged. 'Midna wanted Zelda to tell me where the Mirror of Twilight is located apart from that I've got no clue what's going on,' he informed the feline.

"Midna… I believe I understand now just who and what you are… Despite your mortal injuries, you act in our stead… These dark times are the result of our deeds, yet it is you who have reaped the penalty. Accept this now, Midna. I pass it to you…" Zelda said and her body started glowing softly. The glow transferred to Midna as it grew stronger.

It got brighter and brighter.

"NO, Link! STOP her!" Midna exclaimed but it was too late. The glow surrounded her body and Zelda's cloaked form disappeared.

'That's unexpected,' Link said. He watched as Midna was lowered to the floor, her skin a healthy black tone once more. "We go back, Link! Back to Faron Woods!" she said.

'We'll see about that,' Link said. He turned to Grimmjow. 'Come on let's go. We're done here,' he said.

'Finally!' Grimmjow growled.

Midna sighed and looked back to where Zelda had sat. "Zelda…" she said, "I've taken all that you had to give… though I did not want it."

'Oh, shit, hold on Grimmjow. She's gonna teleport us,' Link said just before his body turned to shadow particles. He landed on Hyrule Field outside of Castle Town. 'Grimmjow?' he said worriedly.

'I'm here… remind me never to let the imp transport me again,' the panther growled.

Link breathed out in relief.

A strange sound floated through the air, and the blond turned towards the castle they had just left. A huge orange barrier had appeared around the castle.

Link could almost smell Midna's rage but there was nothing they could do about that now. The imp straddled his back again, determined to do what needed to be done.

* * *

[1] Owned by Disney from Bambi


	10. Power Problems

**Power Problems**

It was evening.

Link and Grimmjow had, despite Midna's complaints, not travelled towards Faron Woods. Instead they had gone south from Castle Town and were now settled in the amphitheatre overlooking Lake Hylia. The blond had filled the bluenet in on what had been going on.

"… So the Triforce is a power the three goddesses left behind… You have one and that woman has one," Grimmjow said. "Then who has the last one?"

"Ganondorf … or at least he had it the last time around," Link said. He lifted a bottle to his mouth and drank.

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow. "Last time around?" he asked.

Link nodded. "Oui… you see the last time Hyrule was in danger like this my Grandfathers were the ones who dealt with it. Link, the Hero of Time, and the carrier of the Triforce of Courage which is the Triforce piece I carry defeated and killed Ganondorf…" he said.

"But if he was…" Grimmjow didn't get further.

"You're interrupting me," Link said with a small smirk. "You see the current Princess Zelda sent my Grandfathers back in time after they had beaten the crap out off Ganondorf so it actually never happened. I don't know what happened to Ganondorf after that. My Grandfathers didn't stick around to find out. They left for Earth or rather Link left for Earth because that was where Grandpa, Harry, was from and Zelda had somehow managed to send him back there."

"So, you're telling me that what's going on now might be happening only because one of the woman's ancestors fiddled with things better left alone?" Grimmjow looked pained. It was so stupid.

"Yeah, definitely and they don't remember that my Grandpa didn't just help the Hero of Time but he was also a dark wizard. Light balances darkness and my Grandfathers are the perfect example of that. Zelda and others I've met keep saying how Xanto is dark and the lord of shadows but without shadows and darkness they wouldn't have made it against Ganondorf the first time around. It is a bit frightening you know…. because Zelda is supposed to carry the Triforce of Wisdom," Link said. He leaned back and closed his eyes, breathing softly.

Grimmjow shook his head. These humans or Hyruleans or whatever were seemingly incapable of handling their own problems. They were weak and while not stupid per se they weren't either brave or had a survival instinct. Hell he would have fought on principle against what was going on. Of course as it was, he wanted to beat the crap out of Stinky because of the things attitude.

"Now Zelda wants me to go retrieve the Epée de Légende… but I don't know. The Sword is supposed to be wielded by a light warrior like my Granddad Link not by someone like me who's more dark than anything else. I take after Grandpa more than Granddad. Though I'm an Elemental Master or I will be at least. My elemental magic is a lot stronger than Grandpa's ever was… at least that's what he told me. It doesn't feel right to go after the sword and I don't actually need it for anything anyway," Link said. He opened his eyes and looked out over Lake Hylia.

Midna had disappeared down into his shadow earlier when it had become apparent that they would not be travelling anymore that day. She had been muttering and waving about angrily as she disappeared.

Grimmjow shrugged. "If I didn't want Stinky dead I wouldn't even bother with this nonsense. What's the point of saving people when all they are gonna do is demand more afterwards?" he said. He rubbed his hand over his face. In a way things had been so much simpler when Aizen was still controlling him. Or back before he'd met the man. There were so many feelings and … stuff soaring around his head now. He had questions he wanted answered, but he was probably the only one with the answers he needed and he couldn't remember.

"You know what Grimmjow…" Link said. "You're right… but if Ganondorf really is behind this mess." He sat up slowly. "Then I want to beat the crap out off him." He smirked at the bluenet as green eyes met blue.

"That is more like it," Grimmjow said with a smirk. "Fight for you not for anyone else."

"Fight for the sake of the fight and win because no one else deserves too win," Link said. "Come on I'm not sleeping on hard stone tonight." He stood up and walked up the steps that led back up on Hyrule Field. He could feel the air move as Grimmjow passed him. He laughed softly as the bluenet turned around to smirk superiorly at him.

Grimmjow crossed his arms over his chest in annoyance. He blinked in surprise as the blonde's warm hand travelled over his arm in a gentle cares. He turned to look at the teen. The smaller man was smirking mischievously as he settled down beneath a tree. The bluenet narrowed his eyes at the blond. The boy was playing with fire. 'You're playing a dangerous game, bitch,' he told the wolf as he settled down next to him in his panther form. It would be way more comfortable sleeping as animals out there.

'Oh, really,' Link said. 'I thought I was flirting but if you've got a different opinion that's O.K. I guess.' He was grinning a wolf grin.

The panther hissed at him. 'Sleep bitch I don't have the patience to deal with you tonight,' he said.

Link rolled his eyes. Grimmjow was so stingy sometimes.

* * *

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Link roared. He looked up at Grimmjow. "You shut up or I'll shut you up," he hissed. Nothing was working. NOTHING. He had tried every exercise his Grandpa had taught him and his magic just wouldn't bloody well cooperate with him.

"NO! Link, watch out!" Midna called.

The blond opened his eyes but it was already too late. He could feel the blade passing through his stomach. He breathed in shakily and looked up at Grimmjow. "Pour quoi?" he whispered.

The bluenet sneered at him. "You're just as pathetic as the rest of the creatures around here," he said. He pulled his sword out of the blonde's body and turned around. "You're not even worth killing," he spat.

"How dare you!" Midna roared.

**_"_****_Urusai!" _**Grimmjow told her in Japanese. Why he'd switched language he didn't know, but it turned out to be a good move when the imp looked at him startled.

Midna moved back. **_"Nanda, you speak Twi but…" _**she said.

**_"_****_I said shut up, imp,"_** Grimmjow said. He was actually hoping that the human would get up and retaliate. He didn't quite know why he cared, but he wanted the teen to regain control. He wanted…

A surge of power almost knocked him off his feet. He turned around and watched as the boy's Reiryoku tore up a whirlwind around his body. He grinned. _'Now we're talking,'_ he thought as he could feel the Reiatsu. He breathed in. "You can do better than that, bitch!" he called out.

The Reiatsu disappeared completely. The Reiryoku vanished, and Link was hanging there in mid air, his eyes closed. His hair had broken out of its ribbon and was floating serenely around his head. The flame pattern under his left eye had turned white. It was the same with the lines on his arms and hands.

Green eyes opened. A hand was raised and the stone beneath Grimmjow's feet shattered. "You wanted to fight me… Grimmjow," his voice drifted eerily through the air. "Then fight me." He moved forward and slashed with his still outstretched arm.

A bolt of lighting crashed down where the bluenet had stood just moments earlier. He grinned maniacally. "You're on," he said confidently. He Sonído-ed to right behind the blond and slashed with his sword.

It stopped. A wall of pealing rock blocked its path.

Then the rock started glowing. It broke to pieces and charged right at him. He moved out of their path.

Slash

The blade was stopped once more.

The counterattack barely missed him. He could smell burnt hair. His grin widened.

The blond moved forward again. He spun out of view.

"Got ya'," Grimmjow said as he grabbed the teen's arm. He angled his sword and cut.

Link grabbed the hand that was holding him and pulled himself up and out of the sword's way. He gathered fire in his hands. The flames burned hotter and hotter.

"Fuck!" Grimmjow pulled away. He looked down at the angry red mark on his arm before turning back to the human. "I'll get you for that," he hissed.

Link smirked and dodged the bluenet's next strike. His eyes glided over Lake Hylia as he spun around. _'To close,'_ he thought as Grimmjow's blade grazed his shoulder. He jumped out of the feline's way, landed on a piece of the amphitheatre that had come loose at some point and launched himself out over the lake. He knew that Grimmjow would follow him. He wasn't running away after all. He twisted his body into a spin and reached out with his magic. Clear cool water met him and twisted around his body. He landed unscratched on the water surface. Water rose up around him and launched out as soon as the bluenet appeared.

Grimmjow staggered back. _'He went for more ammunition, the little bastard,' _he thought. _'Let's see just how fast he is, hmm.' _He didn't even bother with landing on the water.

.

Blood was dripping down into the clear water colouring it red for a little while before it became so diluted it could no longer be seen.

Two figures were standing on the water surface both wearing crazed grins and intense eyes. They were breathing heavily. Long gashes ran down their exposed skin.

Green-eyes met blue.

Link let out a freeing laugh. He closed his hands and let the water around him carry his body forward. He gathered some of the water around him and a blade was formed in his hand. The water froze and he dodged Grimmjow's swing before dealing out his own.

A shaky hand reached up and grabbed the blade running straight through his shoulder. Link looked up at Grimmjow. "Let's stop now before someone really gets hurt, yeah?" he said, his breathing laboured and tired. "You held back and I still can't control how my magic actually works. We both know who would have won if it was a real fight." He let go of the bluenet's sword, his own blade turning back to the water it had come from.

Grimmjow still wore that insane grin. He moved back half a step and looked down at his battered body. "Ya' know what you're right maybe I should just kill you and be done with it," he said sarcastically.

Link rolled his eyes. "Admit it! You like me that's why you didn't just kill me," he said before taking off towards the nearest piece of land.

"Yeah, right," Grimmjow muttered. He cracked his neck and sighed. It had been a good fight. Yeah, the blond wasn't as good as him, but he could definitely hold his own. He looked over at the teen. He smirked as the green tunic the blond wore was pulled off and thrown on the ground. He started walking towards the piece of land the boy was sitting on when a black and orange blur appeared before him.

**_"_****_How dare you do that to Rinku? He saved your life you miserable…"_** Midna fell silent when the bluenet Sonído-ed away.

Grimmjow landed next to Link. "Your girlfriend is starting to seriously piss me off," he said as he sat down next to the blond.

"Grimmjow, I'm gay what on Earth would I need a girlfriend for. They don't have the right plumbing," Link said as his hands started glowing and the last of his wounds closed up. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. "Hnnn, that's better…" he looked up at the bluenet, "did you have to stab me earlier?" he asked.

Grimmjow scoffed. "You were pissing me off with all that whining. I figured that you needed to release some tension and that the way you used to work your …magic… or what ever you call it didn't work anymore. So, I made you use it instinctively instead by stabbing you," he said. He ran a hand through his sweaty hair.

Link moved up to him. "You really are a person of action aren't you," he said. "No excessive talking. You prefer to just get right to the root of the problem, huh?" He placed a hand on the bluenet's shoulder. "Lay back so I can heal you," he said demandingly.

Grimmjow snorted. "And there is a problem with that. It worked, didn't it?" he said. He could feel his jacket sliding off his shoulders. The hand on his shoulder pushed him back until he was lying on the soft grass beneath them.

"Just let him bleed to death," Midna sneered in Hylian at the bluenet as she landed in the grass next to Link.

Link raised an eyebrow at her. "There, there Midna calm down…"

"Calm down, calm down, this disgusting creep tried to kill you Link. How can you be so calm?" Midna said. Her eyes were wide and disbelieving.

"He helped me…"

"Helped you, helped you…"

**_"_****_Shut up imp or I swear I will shut you up!"_** Grimmjow growled.

**_"_****_Don't you dare get involved in this…"_**

**_"_****_Midona just calm down will you. There is no need to yell at Gurimujō. Yes, he was being a bit brutal earlier, but that is just the way he is and I'm fine with that. He didn't really mean to hurt me. If that had been what he was after I'd be dead now,"_** Link said joining the conversation.

Midna looked at him. **_"Urrgh, whatever, don't come crying to me when he does kill you,"_** she said and disappeared down into the blonde's shadow. She didn't even comment on the fact that Link spoke Japanese as well – though where she was from it wasn't called Japanese of course.

"Enfin," Grimmjow muttered. Blue eyes closed slowly.

Link reached out and pressed the palms of his hands against the bluenet's chest. "She's just worried about me…" he said. "I guess that's why you called her ma copine, huh?" He was smiling softly as his magic worked on Grimmjow's wounds.

"Tsk, yeah, course it was," Grimmjow said. His conscious started drifting as soft warm hands travelled over his abdomen and up his chest.

The feeling travelled with him into his subconscious. He could feel gentle hands wrapping bandages around his chest. He was pushed back into a bed.

He drifted.

Loud noises reached his ears. People were screaming. _'Why are they screaming?'_ Grimmjow wondered.

Blue eyes opened and looked around. He was lying in a tent. On either side of him there were injured men lying in makeshift beds. Bandages were wrapped around heads and arms and legs. Some poor sod had lost a leg another was slowly bleeding out in his bed.

The sound of bullets cut through the air.

Grimmjow stood up on shaky legs. He had to do something. He couldn't just lay there. He grabbed a rifle and staggered out off the tent.

Blood and death. People screaming and gunfire.

He made it over to a trench and fell down on his knees. His body protested as he lifted his rifle up. He aimed and fired.

One

Two

Three

They weren't stopping.

Grimmjow lifted his rifle again. He pressed the trigger and then his body was thrown back.

The bluenet sat up suddenly. He was breathing raggedly.

Warm hands pressed against his chest. "Shhh, Grimmjow its O.K. I've got you... shhhshh…" a soft voice said. It kept talking to him in that soothing tone.

It took the bluenet a while to realise that the one who was speaking was male, and it took him even longer to realise that he was sitting next to a lake with no sign of the dirt filled trench anywhere. He took a calming breath, blinked and looked towards the person sitting next to him. In the back of his head he could feel a need… a need to protect someone. Like he'd been fighting to keep someone safe… but he had no idea who. Blond hair and green eyes met him.

Link smiled softly at the bluenet. "It is O.K. Grimmjow, you're awake now," he'd been scared when the man had started twitching in his sleep. He'd done his best to make certain that the man hadn't hurt him or himself. He moved closer to the bluenet and wrapped his arms around him.

Grimmjow shifted as the blond came closer. He felt warmth envelope him as the teen hugged him. A part of his mind told him he shouldn't allow that, but he still wasn't with it enough to listen to that. He let his forehead fall to the blonde's shoulder. It was his past it had to be. He'd been in a war and… he'd gotten killed in that war.

The bluenet lay back slowly with Link still hugging his body. He wrapped an arm around the blond but didn't say anything. _'What the hell …'_ he sighed. He'd rather not talk about this emotional shit anyway. His eyes closed again slowly. He wouldn't be dreaming this time though.


	11. The Resistance

**The Resistance**

Link made his way back towards the surface slowly. When he'd woken up that morning he had felt all grimy and icky. He had left a still sleeping Grimmjow up there and just jumped straight into the clear water of Lake Hylia. His head broke through the water surface. He bent his body back into the water so his hair would stick to his scalp instead of hanging down into his eyes. He closed his eyes and focused on the flow of his magic. Grimmjow's rather insane idea of dealing with his problem had removed the biggest obstacle, but it would still be some time until he had proper control again. The water around him rose and brought him with it.

Link stepped out of the water and looked over at the bluenet. He glanced back at the water behind him. A small smile spread over his lips…

"Don't you dare continue that thought," Grimmjow growled. He sat up and narrowed cyan-blue eyes at the blond.

"What…?" Link said not so innocently. He smirked at the bluenet. "You could use a shower. You stink," he said. "Omph."

Splash!

Link glared up at Grimmjow. "What did you do that for, huh?" he said.

"Uppity bitch," Grimmjow growled.

"Why you," Link raised a hand and the water behind him moved up and crashed down on the bluenet.

Grimmjow roared and dived down next to the blond. He swam back up and pulled the teen down under the water surface.

It became a wrestling match that only ended because they needed oxygen.

…

Link was giggling uncontrollably as he spread his green tunic out on the ground. It was clean and whole. _'What have they made this thing out off really?' _he wondered. _'Well whatever it is it doesn't help with the smell,' _he thought as he sniffed the fabric. He tossed it into the lake; the fabric would float. He grabbed his under tunic and did the same with that shortly followed by his pants. He jumped down and looked at his clothes floating around. Bending down to pick his tunic up, he could feel Grimmjow's presence. He looked up at the naked bluenet. "Yes," he said.

Grimmjow smirked. He dumped his own clothes right in front of the blond. "Why don't you deal with mine while you're at it, bitch," he said with a smirk.

Link took a deep breath. This guy would manage to piss him off royally rather soon if he didn't watch it. He narrowed his eyes at the bluenet. "If I'm gonna do that you better go fish for lunch pussy or you can do your own laundry," he said.

Grimmjow grimaced. "Don't call me that," he said.

Link rolled his eyes. "But it is fine for you to call me bitch to your hearts content?" he asked.

Grimmjow blinked. "But you are a bitch… you're **my** bitch…"

"Not until you've fucked me Grimmjow and even then I'm only you're bitch if I want to be," Link said as he lifted the bluenet's jacket out of the water. He could feel a hand brush through his hair gently. He knew Grimmjow wouldn't apologise. It wasn't the way the bluenet did things. He rubbed against the hand showing that he was O.K. He'd overreacted a bit, he knew that.

Grimmjow looked back at the blond. Sure he'd called the teen bitch since they met in human forms but it meant more to him now. It was that damn dream. He'd died and lost someone then. He didn't want to lose anyone else. Of course Link was the closest he had to a person he actually cared about. Beneath his feet a shoal of fish were unaware of the fact that several of them would not be alive in just a short while.

* * *

Link and Grimmjow were walking east. They were headed to the Shadow Beasts that Link had abandoned by the broken Eldin Bridge.

"So, these monsters are supposedly a bit tougher then?" Grimmjow asked. He'd just cut a chuchu in two and was now studying the strange liquid on his blade.

"Oui et non," Link answered. "Yes they are harder to kill since they have this– don't eat that – nasty habit of getting back up again if you leave only one of them alive, and no because they are defeated just about as easily as any other monster around here," he explained.

"So, easy but fucking annoying then," Grimmjow concluded. "What is this stuff anyway?" he asked.

"Blobs, certain kinds can be eaten to restore your energy, but not the violet ones. That stuff can kill you if you aren't careful," Link informed him.

Grimmjow shook his head, scoffed and rid his blade of the purple goo. "If you have to kill them all at once, how have you been dealing with them then?" he asked curiously.

"Fire works really well, and when I'm a wolf, Midna has been helping me with her magic," Link said. He reached down into a pouch and pulled his bow out. He placed an arrow on the string, and as a burning projectile came sailing towards them, he let the arrow go.

A cloud of black smoke appeared in the distance.

Another arrow was placed on the bow string, and another cloud of black smoke appeared.

"That's convenient," Grimmjow said. "Not as powerful as a Cero but a Cero would take out half the landscape too, not just these measly monsters."

Link chuckled. "Well, it beats having to avoid their arrows until we get close enough to behead them at least," he said.

…

Grimmjow unsheathed Pantera. He watched the three black beasts as they moved around. They reminded him of low level Hollows. The only thing that struck him was how they all seemed to look the same. Now, Gillians looked the same too but this was just annoying.

Just to test what Link had told him earlier, the bluenet cut down two of the beasts but left the third standing.

A shrill roar sounded through the air. Around Grimmjow the fallen beasts rose once more. "Tsk, annoying idiots," he muttered. He held his sword hand out. A blue orb formed by his knuckles. He Sonído-ed up in the air and sent the Cero off.

A grand blue dome enveloped the monsters. Once it dissipated there was nothing left.

Above their heads a black portals red lines turned jade.

Grimmjow sheathed Pantera as he walked back to Link. "Annoying would be the least I have to say about those things," he told the blond. "So what did that bloody clown want earlier anyway?" he asked.

"The Postier you mean," Link said. The bluenet shrugged. "He delivered a letter from Telma…"

"The busty bar woman?"

"Yes that's the one," Link said as he stuck his arm down in one of the pouches he was carrying. "She writes that:

_Link, there are some folks _

_I want you to meet, _

_so come to my bar right away. _

_These guys will be powerful _

_allies for you._

_You heard me! Come by!_

_I'll be waiting at my _

_Castle__Town__bar. _

_Telma_"

"She's demanding as hell, that woman," Grimmjow pointed out.

"Yeah, and I somehow doubt that she can find me powerful allies. Useful maybe… but not powerful," Link said. He met the bluenet's eyes. "There will be even more boring talk in gibberish if you come with me to meet these people," he said.

"Do we have to bother with…?"

"I want to help Midona find le Miroir des Ombres. It's the only way to get to Xanto as well… But I've got no clue where to look for it and they might," Link said.

Grimmjow looked out over the chasm that was now next to impossible to cross. "Well, that does create problems," he said. He lifted his arm and pointed. "The castle is that way so crossing this stupid bridge is the closest way there," he said.

"Yeah, but unless it's completely escaped your notice, the bridge is missing a large chunk in the middle, and I can't walk on air… at least not yet, anyway," Link said irritably.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. He moved forward, grabbed the blond by the waist and Sonído-ed to the other side of the chasm. "There you go," he said as he put the teen down. Link stared up at him wide-eyed. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack or something," he asked as he tried to calm his breathing down.

"Tsk, yeah, sure I am," Grimmjow said sarcastically.

* * *

Link opened the bar door. He stepped into the softly glowing light of the room leaving the door open for Grimmjow.

"Oh my… If it isn't Link!" Telma said when she saw him.

"Good evening, Telma," Link greeted her as he walked up to the counter. Behind him the door closed as Grimmjow entered.

"You made it! How've you been, honey?!" the brunette asked.

"I've been O.K. I helped the Zoras with some problems they had with a temple at the bottom of Lake Hylia… and I met Grimmjow here…" Link told her.

"Ah, isn't that a handsome one," Telma said and winked at the bluenet.

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow at her before looking down at the blond for an explanation.

"Yeah, really handsome but he doesn't understand a word Hylian," Link told her. He tilted his head so he could look up at Grimmjow. "She's just calling you handsome. You don't have to look so alarmed," he told the bluenet.

"She's flirting with me…" Grimmjow said with a pained expression.

"She flirts with any creature on two legs with a cock Grimmjow. It's just the way she is. You can ignore it. I do and it works just fine," Link said before turning back to Telma. "A bit of misunderstanding that needed to be sorted out. It's nothing to worry about," he said in Hylian.

Telma smiled at him. "You seem to have had quite the little adventure then," she said. "Oh, but you have good timing. I was just talking about you!" She turned towards the people sitting at a table at the back of the bar. "Hey, everyone! Introduce yourselves!" she called to them. "This handsome young man here is the infamous Link!" She turned back to Link. "You remember what I told you before, honey!" she asked.

"Yes, Telma, I remember," Link confirmed.

"These are those friends I mentioned, the ones who are trying to help deal with all the troubles in Hyrule," Telma said, and Link nodded in understanding. "Actually, there's one more of us… but there's been a disturbing turn of events in the Western Desert, so he's gone to cheek it out. He's an old man named Auru. If you happen to meet him, definitely take the time to talk with him, OK, honey?"

"Yeah, sure, I'll remember that Telma," Link said.

"Well, you've come all the way here, honey, so why don't you relax a bit. Why don't you be sociable and talk to these folks? They're a jolly bunch," the brunette said.

Link pulled up his money pouch. "Oh, well, why not we could do with a hot meal," he said and placed some rupees on the counter.

"Oh, you don't have to, honey…"

"I insist Telma," Link said with a smile.

The brunette laughed merrily. "I'll get you handsome fellows something pronto," she told the blond.

Link smiled at her and tanked her before turning to Grimmjow. "We're going to get something to eat, and I'm gonna have a chat with those guys over there. Are you O.K. with that?" he asked the bluenet.

Grimmjow ran a hand through his hair. "Food sounds good… you'll let me know if they say anything interesting?" he asked.

Link nodded. "Course I am," he said as he led the way up to the table.

They each pulled up a chair and sat down. While Link struck up conversation with the people around the table, Grimmjow watched them. He might not be able to tell what they were saying, but he could study their Reiatsu. To his right sat a man with a makeshift helmet that covered the upper half of his face. His entire being screamed of worry. The bluenet shifted closer to the teen sitting next to him. The worry increased. _'So, you care about Link then,' _he thought. He looked over to the woman. She actually seemed to be the strongest one of the bunch. She was talking to Link and soon enough they were laughing.

The bluenet gave the busty woman a nod as she placed plate down in front of him. The warm food was heavenly. Human food tasted way better than Hollows.

They ate and Link spoke with the two men and the woman around the table.

Grimmjow's eyes fell on the last male. The small brunet fell straight into the bluenet's pathetic category. The man to his left pulled his helmet off and Link went all exited… on the outside at least.

Grimmjow couldn't fit the blonde's tone to his emotions at all. He sounded excited but felt reserved – like he was just putting on an act for the man. The bluenet leaned in closer to Link and felt the blond man's worry rise once more. "You're done soon, yeah?" he asked.

Link nodded as he answered a question that the woman asked.

"I'll wait outside then," Grimmjow said and stood up. A hand landed on his arm.

"We're going back to Lake Hylia after this," Link said.

Grimmjow nodded. There was an awful lot of running back and forth in this place, he noted. He opened the door and disappeared out in the cool night.

"Link, who is that?" Rusl asked after the blue-haired man had left the bar.

Link turned to him. He noticed the concern in the older man's eyes. "He's a friend. He isn't very friendly but…" he shrugged, "not everyone can be that now, can they?" he said.

"He doesn't feel right Link, are you sure you can trust him?" the older blond asked. He really didn't like the feel of the man at all, dangerous – bloodthirsty even.

"Yes, Rusl, I can trust him. If he wanted me dead, he would have killed me already," Link said as he stood up. "It's been nice talking to you all, but we need to get going now."

"Where will you go?" Rusl asked.

"Well, Telma mentioned disturbance in the desert, so I guess we'll be going there. I'll talk to this Auru first though," the blond answered. "Good evening everyone," he said before quickly walking over to the door.

"Wait, honey!" Telma called. She walked up to him with a bag. "It's filled with food. You're going to need all of it if you're going into the desert," she said. "Now, you come back to us in one piece, honey! Is that understood?!"

Link smiled at her. "I promise Telma," he said. He opened the door and turned back to her at the threshold. "Thank you for this and good evening," he said and held the bag up. He walked out into the cool night air.

Grimmjow was nowhere to be seen. It didn't surprise the blond at all. He'd told the man where they were headed after all. He made his way out off the town and down south to the amphitheatre. "We should get some sleep before continuing this," he said as he stopped next to the seated bluenet.

Grimmjow looked up at him, and as he looked back down, he nodded. "Anything worth mentioning?" he asked as he stood up.

Link shrugged. "They seem to be a group of people who keep track of things. I don't know if they actually do anything about problems though," he said.

They walked up to the same tree they'd slept under a few nights before.

"They did tell me that something was going on in the mountains and in the desert. We're going to head to the desert because Ash the warrior woman needed to gather more information," the blond said.

Grimmjow yawned and nodded. "So, we're going to a desert how fun," he said sarcastically. It wasn't like he hadn't had enough of sand in Hueco Mundo. His body shimmered as he shifted.

"Yeah sure…" Link said tiredly. His own skin rippled as fur spread over his body. He curled up against the panther and fell asleep.

...

Blue eyes opened. They scanned the area. In the distance a green-skinned cretin caught his attention. The white armoured feline stood up slowly. He felt how a weight fell from his back and looked down. Next to him a sand-coloured wolf lay. Its big paws had a golden hue mixed with the darker fur.

The panther blinked slowly. The scent was familiar even though he'd only known the wolf for a few days. It was a bit strange how the male wolf could smell so much like a female to him. Sometimes – and most often when he did call the other a bitch – he couldn't actually tell the difference by scent. But then again this wolf didn't really smell like a canine at all. His attention was brought back to the green-skinned intruder. _'What did Link call them again?'_ he asked himself. _'Bulblin, right?'_ He tilted his head. It didn't really matter to him what the thing was called. It would be dead soon either way.

Black smoke rose around the panther's feet. He turned back towards the tree where he'd left his bitch. The wolf was still fast asleep. He snorted softly and Sonído stepped back to the canine. 'Wake up sleepy head,' he said as he bumped his nose against the wolf's head. A coarse tongue came out and liked the top of the wolf's head.

'Are you washing me…?' Link mumbled sleepily.

'No,' Grimmjow said sarcastically, 'I'm not.'

Green eyes opened slowly. He blinked up at the panther. White sharp teeth showed as the wolf yawned. He stood up slowly, stroking his side against the feline as he did so. He bumped into the panther and then he took off. 'Come on Grimmjow let's go,' he called back.

The feline roared.

In a nearby tree an owl woke up and took off, hooting high-pitched. It had been startled out of its sleep by the sound.

It didn't take Grimmjow long to catch up to the canine. He snapped at the air next to the wolf's flank. 'Why you meanie,' Link yelped. 'Keep your teeth to yourself will you.'

* * *

Link looked up at the tower located on a hill by Lake Hylia. It was a sturdy hexagon granite tower with a single ladder going up one of the sides. "I'll just go up there and see what Lafrel has to say, right?" he asked Grimmjow.

The bluenet nodded. "He's gonna be speaking that bloody gibberish anyway, ain't he?" he said. "I'm not overly interested in listening to that."

Link shook his head and chuckled softly. "I'll be right back," he said before grabbing a hold of one of the rungs. "Un, deux, trois…

Vingt, vingt et un, vingt-deux …

Quarante-quatre, quarante-cinq, quarante-six," he mumbled as he climbed higher. He pulled himself up the last bit and was amazed.

The view was beautiful. Soft rolling grass clad hills coloured a fairytale green gave way to almost golden sand. The sky above had barely a cloud in it and was so blue that the blond had to wonder if there was anything to match its splendour.

In the distance, six pillars rose from behind the hills. A top of the pillars sat posts with winged roundels. Link tilted his head, wondering what those roundels were…

"I thought it was about time for you to arrive…"

Link turned around. The voice had brought him out of his daze. There was a figure clad in light olive-green overalls and sturdy back leather shoes and gloves. The man was facing away from him and his hood was up hiding his appearance. He turned around and lowered a telescope he'd been looking through. "Master Link, is it?" he asked.

"Wha… yeah," Link said still a bit out off it. _'Great response moron, he'll think you're stupid or something…' _he berated himself.

"You do know Telma, don't you? I am Auru. I am apart of the group that Telma kindly allows to meet at her bar. I have heard all about your deeds from her. Now…"

Link was starting to get annoyed with the old man. Auru wouldn't even allow him to say anything before just blabbing on.

"You being a courageous youth… You have likely heard of the strange events in the desert and come to investigate, no? Or am I mistaken?" Auru said.

Link took a deep breath through his nose. He was trying to make certain that he didn't just blow up at the guy. "Yes, I've heard about the desert from Telma… I just came from Castle Town," he said and looked towards the golden sand. "I was planning on heading out there. Someone has to deal with whatever is going on."

"You do know, don't you, Master Link? The Gerudo Desert once held a prison built to hold the worst criminals this land has ever known… The criminals who were sentenced to death were sent directly to the underworld by a cursed mirror that was kept in the prison… Now that prison is condemned, and even the road leading to the desert is impassable. This desert at world's end… It still holds the cursed mirror and the malice of the doomed inmates…" Auru said as he looked out over the sands. "These old bones know that the evil currently plaguing Hyrule is related to this wicked place. So I have come to learn the truth… Master Link, I must ask… What will you do now?"

Link looked up at the clear blue sky. The sun stood high. "I'm planning on going there. This mirror you speak of… It sounds ominous. If it truly is what I believe it to be then it has to be destroyed," he said. "What is currently happening to Hyrule would be nothing compared to what will happen if that mirror is left intact and working."

"Ah, is that so…" the iron haired man said. "Then let good old Auru help you out… You see Lake Hylia below us? A man named Fyer runs an amusement ride of sorts there. Give him this," he said and handed the blond a note. "See long ago, I saved this man's life, and now he cannot refuse me if I ask a favour. If you leave the rest up to Fyer, all should go well."

Link smiled at the man and pocketed the note. "Thank you," he said.

"You are welcome Master Link," Auru said with a small bow.

Link walked back over to the ladder. He bid the man goodbye and climbed back down.

Grimmjow had walked off and was currently half-lying half-sitting in the grass with his back against the slanting rock wall. His half-mast eyes followed the blond as the teen came walking up to him.

"Comfortable, huh?" Link asked with a small smirk. He turned slightly and pointed towards the pillars that could be seen peeking up behind a grass clad hill. "We need to go there," he said. "According to Lafrel up there, there is no longer a working road to the desert. That moron wants me to go talk to this maniac that owns a big-ass-cannon and get shot to the desert." His eyes were pleading as he looked back down at Grimmjow. "Please tell me you both can and will take us over there," he begged.

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow at the blond. "Any indication that the stupid mirror is over there?" he asked. He wasn't about to go out in a bloody desert unless they had too.

Link nodded and then he repeated what Auru had told him about the prison. "It gets me wondering though," he said when he'd finished. "We were closing rifts back home on Earth so that the World Eater wouldn't come. But this mirror sounds an awful lot like a rift that has been sealed to an object. There was one of those back on Earth too… but Granddad destroyed that years ago. It was used just like this mirror. They sent prisoners thorough it as a death sentence." He looked towards the pillars. "I wonder what happened to all those people…?" he whispered.

"The World Eater?" Grimmjow asked disbelievingly. It sounded so stupid.

Link nodded. "It's… well no one really knows… But what we do know is that rifts between worlds attract it. Since no one survives its coming, I can't tell you what it actually does," he explained. "Great grandfather Salazar was the one who first made us aware of it but even he knew very little…" he fell silent. It was still painful to think about his family for too long even though he knew they were still alive… or they were in their time at least.

Grimmjow watched the blond as he closed off. He sat up properly and grabbed the teen's leg. He pulled at the leg, reached out and caught the blond as he fell.

"Omph."

Wrapping his arms around the boy's warm body, the bluenet said, "You look just good enough to eat." Link twisted slightly in his hold and looked up at him. The blonde's belief earlier – that there was nothing that could possibly match the beauty of the cloudless sky – was thrown out the imaginary window.

As his green eyes meet Grimmjow's blue ones, Link's breath hitched ever so slightly. He could feel the larger man's body beneath him. How the muscles rippled as the bluenet moved. Fingers tangled with his blond locks before his head was pulled back and hungry lips descended on his own. A low moan, almost a whine, left his throat. He could hear the bluenet chuckle softly at the sound as their lips moved against each other.

Hands moved on their own accord. They tangled with soft blue hair. Link pulled himself up closer to Grimmjow. The mask that the man wore over his right cheek cut into his face, but he didn't care. He wanted more but was… not afraid… No, not afraid but rather apprehensive to where more would lead. He knew he was far from ready to actually have sex with the bluenet, even if it did sound like a splendid idea.

Grimmjow didn't try to deepen the kiss, however. He pulled back from the lip-lock eventually and cupped the blonde's face with his hands. He ran the thumb of his right hand over the angry red mark under the blonde's mouth before running it up the blonde's cheek to the jade flame mark under his eye. "As I said… you're good enough to eat," he whispered huskily. Green eyes met his. "You're not too bad yourself, you know," Link said still slightly out of breath from the kiss. Grimmjow let go of the blonde's face, and he leaned into the larger man's body, resting his head on a broad shoulder.

They lay there, for Din knows how long, simply sharing body heat. Not talking or even thinking really. Of course moments like that can't last forever.

Midna appeared from Link's shadow. She looked at the blond and then at the uncouth bluenet. "You promised that you'd help me find the mirror, Link," she said irritably. "You look more like you're taking a catnap with blue here than doing anything to find it." She had deliberately spoken Hylian so that the brute wouldn't understand her.

One pair of emerald and one pair of cyan-blue eyes opened to look at the imp.

Link let out a wide yawn before focusing back on the Twilight Princess. **_"I know where the mirror is Midona,"_** he said in Japanese since he knew both the imp and the bluenet would understand him then.

Midna folded her arms over her chest. **_"If you know where it is then why are you still sitting around here for?"_** she asked. She'd switched language. It felt ridiculous to speak Hylian when the blond didn't.

**_"Sore wa sabaku ni aru tame, Midona. _****_It is going to be boiling hot there now with the sun out, and while I can moderate my body temperature to handle that, it is easier to deal with the chill of the night. So, we will leave as soon as the sun starts to set, I promise. We're taking a nap in the mean time since we're going to be up all night crossing that desert, Okay?"_** Link said.

The imp sighed. She couldn't fault the teen, and she knew that no matter what she said he'd still do as he wanted too. **_"Okay fine!"_** she said with sigh. **_"As long as we get there soon."_** She disappeared down into the blonde's shadow once more. She could move around in the sun now thanks to Zelda, but she still didn't like it much.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. He and Link had discussed the imp earlier, and he could sort of understand her. He knew what it was like to not have his full powers available to him. But did she have to be so shrill? It hurt his ears to listen to her. He tightened his hold on the blond for a moment and looked up at the sky.

They would need to leave soon.


	12. Deep in the Desert

**Deep in the Desert**

Sand

It stretched out as far as the eye could see.

Sand

The only break seemed to be deep ravines, that were so dark one could not see the bottom of them, cutting through the landscape like gigantic scars.

Sand

A moldorm jumped out and tried to bite Grimmjow as he walked out on the dunes.

Sand

Link smiled as the moldorm turned to smoke. The bluenet hadn't even bothered drawing his sword.

Sand

The blond was following the bluenet when…

"Wait, Link."

He turned around. Midna was hovering in the air her expression downcast. "Before we go on," she said, "there's something I want you to hear. Do you remember what the spirit said about the Fused Shadows?"

"Which spirit?" Link asked her. He didn't mind speaking Hylian now that Grimmjow wasn't taking part in the conversation. She looked up at him. "Lanayru," she answered, and Link shook his head. "That annoying serpent tried to get into my head. I didn't let him so whatever he had to say I missed it," he told her.

"Oh," Midna said. "Well, basically he was talking about the ones who created the Fused Shadows." Absentmindedly, she bit her lip. "They tried to rule the Sacred Realm you see and… They were banished. They were chased across the sacred lands of Hyrule and driven into another realm by the goddesses. It was another world entirely… The antithesis of Hyrule, where the sun shines bright. Its denizens became shadows that could not mingle with the light. Eventually, most came to call it the Twilight Realm, and from it, none could return to the world of light… They were forever doomed to live in the twilight, flitting in the half-light of dusk, mere shadows of Hyrule… This is the history of the Twili as it has been passed down from our ancestors…" she explained.

Link had to force himself to keep from laughing – not because of Midna's story but because their people was named the same as a family of snakes. He looked out over the desert and smiled softly when he saw Grimmjow.

"Do you understand what I am?" Midna asked. "I'm a descendant of the tribe that was banished to the Twilight Realm!" she growled.

Link reached out and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Midna," he said softly, "I honestly don't care who your ancestors were. You are not them."

The imp looked up at him with a small smile playing on her lips. "It was a peaceful place… you know. Until Zant took control and transformed all of the Twili into shadow beasts. It's clear to me now that he somehow gained a great evil power previously unknown to our tribe… In any case, I was sent from there, and could no longer get into the Twilight Realm without his power," she told the blond.

Link nodded slowly taking the information in. "Then are all the shadow beasts we've killed so far transformed Twili?" he asked.

Midna nodded. "Yes but since we've only defeated them and not killed them there is no need to…" her eyes went wide. "You did kill some of them," she whispered. A hand flew up to cover her mouth. "Oh, no," she cried.

Link watched as the imp started crying. He knew why of course. The Twili were her people, her subjects. A warm hand landed on his shoulder. "What's going on?" Grimmjow asked.

Link turned to him and explained what he'd learned so far.

"So, we've been murdering her people then?" Grimmjow said. He received a nod and shrugged. "There is nothing we can do about that now but not kill the next ones we meet." He looked back out over the desert. "That place she talks about sounds a lot like Hueco Mundo to me," he pointed out.

"It could be the same world just different parts of it," Link said. He looked back at Midna. **_"The only thing Gurimujō and I can do now is promise you that we will not kill anymore of the shadow beasts,"_** he told her. **_"We cannot change the past."_**

Midna dried her tears – angry at herself for showing such weakness in front off these two… Her eyes scanned over the blonde's face. _'Where did those markings come from?'_ she wondered. _'How long have they been there, and how come I haven't noticed them until now?' _She gathered herself. There was still something she wished to tell him. Casting a glance at the brutish bluenet, she decided to just stick to Twi. **_"There is another tale told by my people… though the goddesses forbade us to return to the world of light, they left one link between the light and darkness. Something called Kage no Kagami was passed to the protectors of Hairuru… It's our only path to Kage no Sekai… and we must get there. You'll come with me… won't you?"_** she begged the blond with a pleading look in her eyes.

Link sighed. He smiled softly at her. **_"We'll both come with you and we'll kick Zanto's ass for you O.K."_** he said.

**_"_****_Arigatou,"_** Midna mumbled before disappearing down into Link's shadow.

"Allons, let's get going," Grimmjow said as he grabbed the blonde's hand. "You're so slow it will take us all night to get across this desert and I found something the imp should probably take back to where it belongs." He pulled Link along with him as he Sonído-ed. His blade was out and the moldorm dead before the blond even noticed it was there.

The bluenet pointed. "Looks familiar to you?" he asked.

Link sighed and smiled up at him. "Looks an awful lot like the missing piece of Eldin Bridge," he said.

Grimmjow nodded.

…

"So, do we go down the dark hole?" Grimmjow asked as he looked down the stairs that had been revealed when Midna lifted the large white rock out of the way.

Link scrunched his nose. "No we don't. We've got other things to do right now," he said. He looked out over the sand. There was a long way to go yet. Of course if Grimmjow kept using Sonído to get them there it wouldn't take them all that long. He laid eyes on a campfire in the distance. There were figures walking around it slowly and several structures of some sort as well. "We should go there next," he said and pointed to the fire. He turned when there was no answer. Grimmjow wasn't there.

The blond taped into his animal senses and sniffed around. The bluenet's scent disappeared down into the dark hole next to him. He sighed. _'Well, I'm not coming after you,'_ he thought. "I guess, I'll have to do this the hard way then," he mumbled as he jumped down from the mesa.

Rolling as he hit the loose sand, Link started making his way across the desert towards the coliseum looking building in the distance.

* * *

Blue eyes scanned the room. By now he knew that the rooms all looked the same whether there were torches ablaze in them or not. Faint lights hung from the ceiling. They were reddish in colour and seemed to pulse. Black shoed feet walked forward and jumped down. They landed on the ground below softly. A monster fell down towards had stone floor beside Grimmjow. He drew Pantera and cleaved it in two.

Another fell a bit further away.

"What the fuck," the bluenet hissed. He had faint burn on his hands from the fire that had spread from the slug-like creature. He stabbed the monster and looked up. There were another seven flecks of red hanging from the ceiling. He sighed. He could kill these weaklings just by raising his Reiatsu.

Seven thuds sounded as the slugs hit the floor around him.

The stone blocking his path to the next room rumbled as it fell out of his way.

The next room was just as dark as the one he'd left. He tilted his head. Last time he checked fire did not fly. He held a hand out and focused. The blonde's bow and arrow had gotten him thinking. Ceros were big and very visible compared to arrows. He wondered if it was possible to create a Cero that was smaller or invisible something that the enemy wouldn't even see coming. He rolled his Reiryoku between his fingers. Creating new attacks was almost impossible to do but then again the last time he'd tried he'd still been under Aizen's control. He gave up eventually and drew Pantera. _'Maybe, Link's got some ideas,'_ he thought as he cut the tail of a lizard. It was unusual for him to want to confide in someone else.

Four bats and another lizard later he was ready to proceed.

.

"Disgusting slime," Grimmjow growled. He sent off a Cero at the huge purple chuchu. The grand ball of energy impacted with the slime, pulsed and vanished as the purple mass grew. The bluenet blinked. "What the…?" he said astounded. He drew Pantera. Knowing that the blade would get the job done, he marched forward. The chuchu only lasted for a few more second.

.

"Gkrooooooaaaaashhh."

The scream cut through Grimmjow's body freezing his very bones momentarily. A blade fell towards his unguarded back.

An aura of blue caught the blade.

Grimmjow's Reiatsu flared and he could move once more. He turned towards the bandaged corpse and roared. Taking two quick steps forward, he pierced the mummy's body with Pantera. The sharp blade cut through the old bones and rotting flesh with ease. "Now how the hell did that happen?" Grimmjow hissed angrily. He strode up to another of the mummified warriors lying on the ground. He walked just close enough for the warrior to rise.

"Gkrooooooaaaaashhh."

This time the bluenet could feel the power that washed over him as the corpse screamed at him. He countered it with his Reiatsu and smirked at the mummy. He caught the blade as it came sailing towards him and crushed the sword with a flick of his wrist. This mummy fell as fast as the last one once Pantera cut through the dusty bandages.

_'__For enemies who could use a form of spiritual pressure they aren't very sophisticated,'_ Grimmjow though as the last mummy fell to his blade.

.

"For fucks sake die you stupid pile of bones!" Grimmjow roared. He must have cut the stupid thing down a dozen times by now. He froze. If the stupid thing wouldn't die then he could just vaporize it, right? A grin spread over the bluenet's face slowly. He raised his arm and a blue orb of energy started forming in his hand. He sent it off and watched as a dome of bright blue light spread out from the skeleton's body.

When the dome disappeared there wasn't even a trace of dust left from the dry bones.

"Tsk, that will teach ya," Grimmjow said.

.

He didn't have any other difficulties until he reached a room with five rotating statues. He'd learned quickly that if he walked up to close to one of them it would try to shoot him with a power beam. He was starting to lose his patience with them and was contemplating just blasting them to bits with a Cero, but he still wanted to create that small arrow Cero. If he could get that right then…

"Rawr!"

The statues were torn to bits.

Grimmjow was seriously contemplating going back up again because this place was starting to piss him off. He wanted to know what was at the bottom though. He knew he was going deeper. He had to be one the thirty-somethingth floor by now.

.

Grimmjow studied the two immobile armoured enemies before him. These two held power. "Maybe we've finally found something beside the blond brat that can work some rust from you Pantera," he said as he walked up to the black clad monsters. He danced out of one's sword's path and backflipped over the other's blade.

Hack, stab, jump, hack, he was slowly peeling the black armour off his enemies. Piece by piece fell to the ground with a loud clank.

A large maniacal grin had spread over the bluenet's face. He was enjoying himself. They weren't as difficult to deal with as an Arrancar, of any level, but two of them still gave him a bit of a challenge.

As the last of their armour came off, the two knights threw their big and clumsy blades aside together with their shields before drawing elegant long swords.

Grimmjow laughed crazily one of the knights bolted forward and tried to stab him. He grabbed the blade with one hand and lifted his entire body up so he could kick the guy in the head. He landed on the ground and moved Pantera to catch the blade that was aiming to cut his head off. He parried and struck. "Tsk, boring," he mumbled when the blade passed through the knights skull and it exploded in a cloud of smoke.

The other knight was dealt with rather quickly after that.

.

"Not a single fucking thing," Grimmjow said as he looked around the final room. The only thing there was that naked winged woman. She had tried speaking to him earlier but gibberish wasn't something he cared much about.

The woman tried to tell him something else. He glared at her and she shut up. "Better make it back to Link now," he muttered. This had been a bloody waste of time.

* * *

Link removed his bow from one of the pouches fastened to his belt. He pulled out the quiver as well and fastened it to his baldric. An arrow was removed and placed on the bowstring. The structures he'd seen earlier turned out to be wooden outlook towers. He could barely make out the bulblin's dark shape on top of the closest tower, but that didn't stop him from letting the arrow fly. The shape he'd seen fell from its tower and exploded in a dark cloud that was almost impossible to see in the night.

One of the bulblins cried out catching an other's attention. He pointed to where their comrade had fallen and ordered the others to go cheek it out. The King would not be happy with them if they let an intruder in to the main camp.

Link crouched down in the shadows. He watched as the bullbo came closer. Placing his hands on the cold sand beneath him, he focused his magic through his fingers.

Bright green eyes opened wide. They located the monsters. Strong legs carried the blond over the dunes quickly. On either side of him it looked like giant serpents were moving with him just beneath the sand. As he came closer to the mounted bulblins, he flicked his wrists. The sand that had been moving with him as he ran lifted from the dunes around it. Two big gaps opened wide. They crashed down on the green-skinned monsters and their steeds.

Smoke rose from the ground slowly as the sand coloured red from the bullbos' blood.

The bulblin paced back and forth on top off his tower. _'Where are they?'_ he wondered irritably. _'It can't possibly take that long to deal with an intruder, can it?'_ He turned to pace back as an arrow imbedded itself in his skull.

…

"Brrrr, it's cold out here at night," Link mumbled as he walked up to a set of sturdy wooden barricades. _'Well, obviously someone doesn't want company,' _he thought as he touched one of the sharpened posts. A spark appeared by his fingertips. It danced there for a moment before the entire wooden structure in front of the blond caught fire. "Ahh, that's better," he hummed and held his hands out as the flames warmed his cold body. He looked up. The half-moon stood high in the sky above. He briefly wondered when Grimmjow would show up again. It had been several hours since they had parted ways now.

Once the fire had died down, Link stepped over what was left of the barricade. As he walked, the twisted laugh of a Poe reached his ears. He tensed slightly. Last time Grimmjow had dealt with this type of foe. He ducked as a scythe passed through the air where his head had just been. The scythe was swung once more, and he grabbed a hold of its snath. He smirked. When the bluenet had fought his Poe, it had left a strange pulsing purplish orb behind. The blond punched his hand straight through the ghost's body and grabbed that strange orb. He ripped it out. A blue shimmer in the air was all that was left.

…

Grimmjow landed on top of a broken arch. He looked around. Before him was a labyrinth of ruins. He could see several of those little disgusting green-skinned idiots hanging around the ruins. He blinked as one of the bulblins fell from its position on top of a tower. _'Looks like Link's having fun,'_ he noted.

A little while later the blond came running across an open area below. Grimmjow smirked. He Sonído-ed and landed right behind the teen. He caught a fist as it came flying towards his face. His smirk widened slightly. "You're getting faster," he said as he lowered the hand and pulled Link closer.

Bright green eyes looked up at him. "You scared me you moron," Link said. He moved closer to Grimmjow. "Don't do that," he said before wrapping his free arm around the bluenet's neck so he could pull himself up and kiss him gently. Grimmjow let go off his wrist, and the hand made its way to the back of the bluenet's head tangling in the soft hair there.

The kiss ended.

Link smiled at Grimmjow as he lowered himself back down resting his head against the bluenet's bare chest. There was no heartbeat. Not that it really bothered him. It did make him curious, but he could wait for answers. "So, did you have fun?" he asked. Warm arms settled around his waist.

Grimmjow shrugged. "If the monsters around here don't get more creative than that I don't know if I'll even bother fighting them," he said. "I think I got a collection of all the beasts represented in this world."

Link chuckled. His wandering hands settled on the bluenet's hips. He titled his face up and said, "So you're going to just watched me deal with the rest of them as we keep going then?" he asked humorously. "That doesn't sound like a very good way to treat your bitch."

Grimmjow ran a hand through the blonde's soft locks. He tightened his hold on the soft strands so that Link couldn't move his head. "So, you're finally admitting to being my bitch, hmm?" he said with a superior smirk.

The blond rolled his eyes. "Not really it's more of an I-can't-convince-you-otherwise-so-you-think-that-way kind of thing," he said. "I still won't actually be YOUR bitch until you've claimed me properly." He pulled away from Grimmjow slowly and the bluenet let him go. "We might as well clear this place out before morning comes. I'm tired," he said as he started walking. "At least now I don't have to sneak around anymore." He threw Grimmjow a bright smile.

The bluenet chuckled warmly. He followed the blond around a corner.

A screech floated through the air. It was cut off almost immediately as a cold silvery blade tore through the monster's body. "Tsk, weakling," Grimmjow mumbled.

* * *

The huge stone axe slammed straight into Link throwing him up against the one of the walls in the small building they just entered.

A growl cut through the air. "Don't you dare hurt my bitch," Grimmjow hissed at the bulblin king.

Slightly intelligent red eyes widened momentarily. This creature was not someone that should be trifled with. He looked over to the smaller one. Twice that human had defeated him and now this creature was protecting him. For the first time since he'd joined this war, King Bulblin wondered if he'd picked the winning side. He had a healthy amount of both fear and respect for the dark king, but next to these two his resolve wavered.

Grimmjow unsheathed Pantera. He could feel her bloodlust…his bloodlust. He avoided the axe as it came sailing towards him. He stepped to the side and his silvery blade glimmered with blood. A maniacal grin spread over his face as he avoided yet another blow from the big clumsy brute. It was a bit like fighting the Diez, Yammy Llargo. The attacks were slow, powerful but way to slow to have a chance at hitting him.

By a white brick wall green eyes opened as a hand made its way to a wound in the blonde's scalp. "Ouch," Link hissed. He healed his injuries and his vision cleared. He could see Grimmjow adding another cut to the big green-skinned monster that had knocked him out. "Bad bulblin," he whispered in Hylian. He could see that his blue-haired partner was enjoying this though. A small smile spread over his lips. "Grimmjow stop playing with him and kill him will you, I'm tired, I wanna sleep!" he whined but there was almost like a laugh clinging to the words. He started giggling as the king was brought to his knees.

Grimmjow raised his unoccupied hand. A small blue orb appeared. It grew slowly until it was the size of an apple, and then the bluenet fired it off at the monster. He Sonído-ed over to Link, picked him up, and kicked open the gate they had entered through.

Barricades blocked their path. There were at least half-a-dozen of them.

"Oh, my turn," Link exclaimed excitedly and clapped his hands. His feet hit the ground as he was let down. He smiled up at Grimmjow, stood up ion his tiptoes and gave the man a quick kiss. "Thank you," he said. He turned back to the barricade and placed his hands against the coarse wood.

Fire leaped out of his hands. It roared as it struck down on the planks and posts in its master's way.

Once the fire had died down the two fighters proceeded on their path. Before them twin pillars reached for the skies. The sandstone stairs were lined with broken and battered columns. A coliseum stood proud but the entrance looked more like it would lead to a crypt. The Triforce and wings sat above the dark opening.

The sun would rise soon.

Link yawned.


	13. Through the Tomb

**Through the Tomb**

Hands roamed over heated flesh.

A moan left moist lips.

Fingers tangled in soft hair.

Skin against skin.

Green eyes opened slowly. It was dark. Strong hands grabbed his hips and pulled him closer. A hot mouth descended on his neck. His own arm moved up and wrapped around the other's neck. His fingers spread over a broad back. "Please don't tease," he breathed.

A warm chuckle drifted through the air. Hands moved down over the blonde's soft skin. Muscled legs were pulled up. The teen shifted and the legs wrapped around a sturdy waist. "So eager, are we?" the man said huskily. He moved back and the blonde's arms fell down to either side of his head.

A long moan left Link's lips as warm hands travelled down over his abdomen. His legs were moved apart and he lost his grip on the man's waist.

"Oh, don't worry I'm gonna fuck you good, bitch…"

.

.

Link sat up breathing heavily. "Why?" he whispered. Why did he have to get that stupid wet dream now? He groaned and curled up with his forehead against his knees. As he tried to calm his breathing, he placed a hand on his right shoulder. There was nothing there. He knew there wouldn't be but still…

"So you're finally awake, huh?"

Green eye flew open wide. Pale cheeks flushed and the blonde's breath hitched. _'That voice,'_ he thought. His dilated eyes met with the cyan-blues of Grimmjow.

The bluenet picked up on the air around the teen almost immediately. "Now, now," he said. "What have you been up to, hmmm?" He walked up to the blond, smelling his arousal as he got closer. A warm chuckle drifted through the air.

Link shuddered and let out a whimper.

"Hehehe, do I turn you on little bitch?" Grimmjow asked with a smirk. He was enjoying himself tremendously. The little human truly did want him. It was … interesting.

Green eyes flashed. "Yes you do," Link hissed. "And I suggest you either do something about it or get lost." He stood up on shaky legs.

Blue eyes softened. The blond was so frustrated and so beautiful with his shoulder-long hair falling in soft waves around his flustered face his rumpled clothes revealed soft creamy skin. The bluenet moved up to the teen. He lowered his head. "Mine," he hissed before claiming soft rosy lips. He pushed the blond up against the temple wall. "Let's take this off, neh," he said as he grabbed the hems of Link's under-tunic.

The blond moaned softly as warm hands travelled over his chest. He reached out and pressed the palms of his hands against the bluenet's bare chest, mapping the long scar that travelled from his throat to the hole in his abdomen. Teeth dug into his shoulder as his fingers brushed over the edges of the dark hole. "Grimmjow," he mumbled. "Is something wrong?"

"Fuck," the bluenet breathed. He lapped at the trails of red that were slowly making their way down the blonde's shoulder. "Felt good," he whispered to Link. The trembling fingers retuned to the edges of his Hollow hole, and he went back to sampling the soft skin in front of him.

Link could feel his body being hoisted up. His legs wrapped around the bluenet's waist tightly.

"Calm down," Grimmjow said huskily. "I'm not gonna drop you…" he fell silent as shaky fingers traced the sharp teeth of his hollow mask. He hadn't even known that the bone was that sensitive. His pupils dilated and he let go of his Reiatsu. It whirled around them so dense that it was visible as a blue smoke twirling around his body. He could feel the blonde's breathing speed up. Green eyes opened and looked down at him.

"Grimm," Link whimpered. He flexed his thigh muscles. The rush the bluenet's power had given him was driving him insane. He could feel Grimmjow grabbing his wrists in a tight grip before he started moving against him. Moans and whimpers danced from the blonde's kiss swollen lips as his cock was stroked time and time again.

With how riled up the blond had been before they'd even started, it didn't take him long to come. His head fell forward as his body shook from the orgasm. At some point he'd lost control over the flow of his own magic and he could see it whirling out around him. It was stroking Grimmjow's bare skin as the bluenet bit down on his shoulder once more. He tightened his grip on the bluenet and kept moving until he could feel the man stiffen in his own release.

"Beast," the blond whispered. He wrapped his arm around Grimmjow's shoulders. "My beast."

Grimmjow started chuckling. He looked up at Link. "My bitch," he hummed.

"Yeah, sure," Link said. A small smile played on his lips. He was let down and he grimaced. "We need to clean up. How the hell are we supposed to manage that out here? It's a desert," he said.

…

"Where did you get all the water from?" Grimmjow asked puzzled. He walked up to the soaked blond.

Green eyes met blue. "I transformed the sand into water… it's not that hard to do," Link said. He stood up and reached out, grabbing the bluenet by the sash that kept his hakama up. He pulled.

Splash!

Grimmjow found his footing, stood up and grabbed the blond. "You little shit, I'll…" He didn't get further as soft lips pressed against his own.

The kiss didn't last long.

They broke apart and Link said, "Do you know just how sexy you are dipping wet, hmm?" He was smiling brightly at the bluenet. He pulled the black sash from the taller man's waist, letting the heavy fabric of the hakama drop into the clear water. He moved up closer to Grimmjow, leaned in and whispered huskily, "Now where were we… a yes…" he smirked, "get yourself cleaned up will you." He stepped back from the bluenet and got out off the water taking his own clothes with him as he went.

Blue eyes blinked once… _'The hell is that boy doing to me?'_ Grimmjow asked himself. He sat down in the lukewarm water. Just a few weeks ago he would have beaten the crap out off anyone who even hinted at doing some of the things Link did on a daily basis, but the blond got away with it. Was he getting soft? Hared his teeth and growled. _'I better not be…'_

"It's full of sand in there too," Link said as he walked up behind Grimmjow. He sat down by the railing to the stairs leading up to the temple. "Is something the matter?" he asked when he received no response from the bluenet.

Grimmjow turned around to look at the blond. His expression was grim for a moment before it softened up. As far as his instincts went, he was courting a submissive mate right now. The reason he was being nicer to Link then he'd ever been to anyone before –at least counting his life after death– was because the blond would be his mate. He stood up and climbed out off the water filled pit Link had created earlier. "Nothing's wrong," he said. He pointed at the white pile of fabric next to the pit. "Can you dry those for me?" he asked.

* * *

Quicksand and moldorms.

Locked doors and small disgusting insects.

Grimmjow couldn't say that he was enjoying himself. He ran Pantera through another small skeleton, muttering irritably as he did so. "Oh, come here Grimmjow, I'll deal with them," Link said from behind him. "Be my guest," he muttered as he landed next to the blond. He watched as the normally jade markings on the teen's skin turned fiery orange, and a wave of fire rose before them turning the little skeleton to dust. By the opposite wall two torches lit up as the flames reached them. The bars blocking the next door lifted.

"Since when is fire blue?" Grimmjow asked as they stepped into the next room.

Link blinked and looked up at the four burning blue torches. He grabbed Grimmjow's arm to stop the bluenet from walking away from him and further into the room. "Wait," he said. His eyes scanned the area around them. "Keep close will you," he said as his hand travelled down and his fingers intertwined with Grimmjow's.

The bluenet nodded slowly and they walked further into the room.

Chicht, chicht, chicht…

"What the fuck is that?" Grimmjow asked as four lanterns came floating down the corridor they were heading towards. They watched as the lanterns stopped over the four blue flames.

"It's the reason I wanted you to stay close," Link said hurriedly. "Please Sonído us up into that corridor!"

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow, but he did as the blond asked. "Now will you tell me what the…"

Crash!

He turned as a thick iron gate slammed down behind them. "Ah," he said and turned to Link.

The blond shrugged. "The forest temple back during the era of the Hero of Time worked the same way. If we hadn't moved past the gate before it closed we would have had to chase the ghosts holding those lanterns throughout the temple to get the fire back," he explained. "We just avoided half a day of running around looking for ghosts."

Grimmjow snorted. "I doubt they had that in mind when they built the place," he said. He turned, grabbed Link's hand once more and walked with the blond through the dark tunnel before them.

"Oh, probably not but that won't stop us now, will it?" Link said with a smirk.

The darkness soon gave way to a soft glowing ember light.

A single fire-bubble flew around the room aimlessly. Suddenly its fire burned hotter and hotter. The heat increased until the bubble could no longer withstand it. It exploded in a cloud of black smoke.

Link walked in to the centre of the room and stopped. There was a strange hole in the floor. It looked like a gear. He lifted his gaze. _'Definitely a gear,'_ he thought as he noticed several actual gears in front of him. He tilted his head and looked up at the wall.

"So, were do we go from here then?" Grimmjow asked.

Link blinked in surprise. "Why don't you get us the key in that chest over there," he said and pointed towards a horned black chest to his left and past the bluenet. "It'll get us past the boss' door in this temple."

Grimmjow grumbled as he Sonído-ed away.

The blond turned back to the ornate wall in front of him. _'Now, why do you look different from the rest?'_ he wondered. He walked up to the wall and placed a hand against it. His eyes narrowed. A smirk spread over his lips as he looked at where the ornate wall connected with the walls next to it.

"There is a door over there," Grimmjow said as he walked up to Link. He handed the blond the black key.

"Thank you," Link said with a smile. He moved and pecked the bluenet on the lips. "I know there is a door over there but this," he said and touched the crumbling wall is our way forward. The stone cracked and collapsed beneath his fingertips, "is our way forward."

The next room seemed to lead nowhere unless you looked up. It had a very high ceiling.

"My best bet is that we need to go as high as we can get," Link said. He could hear Grimmjow chuckling behind him, but when he turned around to ask what was so funny, the guy was gone. He turned back to the task at hand and there was Grimmjow. The bluenet was sitting on the ledge of the pillar in the middle of the room. He was grinning down at the blond.

Link sighed. He tilted his head to the side, shot Grimmjow a glare, and looked down at the sand around him. His magic was still a bit strange to him. Though, it had been getting a lot easier to control lately. _'Now or never,' _he thought as he stepped out on the loose sand. _'At least I'm not sinking,'_ he though as he spread the fingers of his left hand out over the sand. He started moving slowly. Rising upwards as the sand gathered beneath him. As he landed next to Grimmjow, he stuck his tongue out. "Meanie," he said before looking around.

"If I wasn't a bit mean now and then you'd never get stronger," Grimmjow said with a huff.

Link rolled his eyes. "Well, that might be true, but if you leave me behind this time, you'll have to fight the boss alone. I can't do both… not yet anyway, besides using sand to move about is not easy," he said. At the bluenet's somewhat derogatory look, he added, "Think about it as moving sand with your bare hands, yeah… You have to make certain that it doesn't slip between your fingers and then it is the sheer amount of sand needed. Just think about how much that weighs, will you, and add to that my weight. It gets pretty heavy and the higher I want to go the heavier it gets."

Grimmjow thought about that for a moment. "Isn't there an easier way to speed transport with elemental magic? One that would allow you to move as you want to," he asked.

Link shrugged. "Probably but I haven't had time to figure it out yet," he said.

The bluenet snorted. "After this you should make time for it. You can't rely on my Sonído. It's not healthy for you," he said.

Link nodded. He knew that. Grimmjow wrapped his arms around him and they disappeared. Unlike most times when that happened the blond focused his magic senses on the feeling. He wondered if he couldn't manage something like it somehow.

They landed in front of a big stone door with the regular black and gold lock attached to it.

The key was inserted into the lock and turned.

Clank! The lock fell to the floor.

The room beyond the door was big and circular. It was also dark and foggy.

Taking a few steps forward, they could see a gigantic skeleton lying in the sand pit that filled most of the room. "Now we're talking enemy," Grimmjow said. "We get to fight that guy right?" He sounded almost like a kid in a candy store.

Link smiled at him. "He's all yours if you want him," he said. "I did promise you the next boss after all."

Grimmjow's eyes lit up. He Sonído-ed down to the skeleton. It took a moment or two before Link heard the bluenet call, "Stupid thing doesn't move."

The blond sighed. He ran down the ramp that led to the head of the skeleton. He froze. "Xanto's coming Grimmjow," he called just as the chameleon masked figure of the Usurper King appeared on the skull.

Grimmjow roared and launched himself at the Twili. His blow missed, and as he pulled himself out off the loose sand he'd landed in, Zant summoned a sword. It glowed red before he ran it down into the skull beneath him. The Twili disappeared once more.

Link ran back out off the sand pit. He stopped at the edge and watched as the boss lifted itself up and roared – however it now did that with no vocal cords. The boss turned to him and a thick palatinate smoke spewed from its mouth. He ran. He did not want to get caught in that. Who knew what it would do. Down in the sand, he could see Grimmjow cutting the head off a skeletal warrior. "Fuck," he hissed. He rolled. The smoke had only just touched him and it still hurt like hell. "Grimmjow!" he roared as he ran out on the sand. "Let me deal with these idiots. Do something about that guy over there instead."

Grimmjow gave him a curt nod. He was tired of these idiots anyway. "Hey dog-bone over here!" he roared at the boss once he'd moved away from Link. He jumped aside as a gigantic bony hand slammed down where he'd just been. A smirk spread over his face and he slashed at the bony arm with Pantera.

Crack.

He rolled out off the way of the miasma the monster breathed at him, turned and delivered another blow with his blade.

Dodge

Slash

Crack

Dodge, slash, crack

An insane laughter spread through the room as Grimmjow cut the boss into splinters. He dodged another spray of smoke and jumped up. "Take this," he hissed just as Pantera tore the boss' cervical vertebras to pieces.

The boss collapsed, and as its body hit the sand, the lights faded and the sand started disappearing, like there was an outlet beneath their feet somewhere.

Grimmjow Sonído-ed over to Link. "That was over fast," he said somewhat disappointed.

"I don't think it is over yet, Grimmjow," Link said. "Bosses usually work just like all the other creatures in this world. They don't leave parts of themselves behind when they die."

Grimmjow disappeared. "It looks dead to me," he said as he reappeared on top of the skull. "Feels dead too."

Link nodded. He looked over to one of those strange gear holes that was located not to far away from the boss' skull. Kneeling down next to it, he placed his hands on the cool metal. "Grimmjow come here will you," he said. He could feel the bluenet joining him. This wouldn't be easy. He focused his magic on the wheels beneath the top gear. His body started glowing faintly as he pushed more and more power into the task at hand. There was probably something down in the temple that would have made this easier, but he couldn't go back now so this would just have to work.

When he opened his eyes again the platform they were standing on had risen above the rest of the floor. He turned to Grimmjow shakily. "Grimm," he whispered, "the dead skull isn't dead."

Grimmjow turned around. His eyes widened slightly as he moved out of the horned skull's way. It slammed straight into Link, however, sending the exhausted blond flying over the edge of the platform. "Fuck," the bluenet hissed. He turned on the spot his body flickering faintly as he caught the blond. "You alive?" he asked as he Sonído-ed again.

Green eyes looked up at him. " 'm fine just tired…" Link whispered. "…my side hurts…" his voice broke.

"I'm not surprised. You just got rammed off a cliff side," Grimmjow said calmly. His voice did not match his temper however. He placed Link down gently. Taking his own jacket off, he bundled it together and placed it under the blonde's head before he jumped back down to the skull and drew Pantera again. "You hurt my bitch," he hissed. "You will be nothing but dust when I'm done with you."

The skull opened its mouth and instead of the palatinate miasma it had breathed earlier it now sent off an orb that looked an awful lot like a Cero at the bluenet.

Grimmjow moved out off the orb's way and held his sword out. "If you want to play it that way sure…" he said. He placed his left hand over his blade and cut his palm open. A blue glow spread around his hand. The glow increased and pulsed. "Gran Rey Cero," he roared as he sent the orb off. The beam of raw energy did not only destroy the skull but also tore through the pillar and wall behind it.

The bluenet ran a hand through his hair. _'O.k. so that was tougher than the average monster around this place,'_ he thought. He turned and flickered.

Midna sat next to the unconscious blond. She was running a small black hand through soft golden locks. She looked up at Grimmjow as he appeared. **_"What happened to him?"_** she asked. Her eyes were glowing with power and the bluenet could feel her anger.

**_"_****_Freaking boss threw him off the edge,"_** Grimmjow said in Japanese and waved towards the pillar. He bent down and lifted Link up. **_"Let's get out of this place,"_** he said as he started walking towards the newly opened exit.

* * *

Green eyes opened to see clear blue sky. A warm arm was slung across his bare chest. Link shifted and looked up at the dozing bluenet holding him. He lay in the taller man's lap snugly. A heavy arm was raised and fingers intertwined over his chest. Blue eyes blinked open slowly. They looked down at him with concern. He was shifted slowly, moved into a sitting position.

**_"_****_Rinku you are awake!"_**

The blond turned towards the voice. Midna sat by his legs. Her burnt-orange eyes were filled with relief. **_"Daijōbu?"_** she asked.

Link, who had grimaced as he moved to look at the imp, gave her a pained smile. **_"Like hell,"_** he said. **_"Everything hurts."_** He placed a hand over the ribs on his left side and looked down. His skin was purple and black. **_"Great,"_** he hissed.

**_"_****_You haven't healed yet,"_** Midna said leaving out the question she wanted to ask.

Link, however, picked up on it. He sighed and said, **_"Raising that platform after dealing with all those soldiers exhausted my magical reserves."_** He moved back to lean against Grimmjow. **_"It will take a while before I'm strong enough to continue,"_** he let his head fall back against the bluenet's shoulder and looked around. They seemed to have made their way to inside the coliseum now. He could finally see that the six pillars hosed the six sage emblems from the era of the Hero of Time. His eyes narrowed slightly at the broken water emblem. _'Wonder why that is the only broken one?' _he thought. His eyes travelled over the golden statue in the coliseum's centre. "The Goddess of Sand," he mumbled.

"Huh?"

Link looked up at Grimmjow. **_"That statue looks a bit like Kyodai Jashin Zou worshiped by the Gerudo,"_** he said in Japanese. He curled up closer to the bluenet. **_"I wonder what happened to the Gerudo."_**

**_"_****_Who are the Gerudo, Rinku?"_** Midna asked confused.

The blond blinked surprised. **_"Oh…"_** he said, **_"they were a desert dwelling tribe back during the era of the Hero of Time. Their King was named Ganondorofu… Ganondorofu tried to take control of the Triforce and rule Hairaru but the Hero of Time, Rinku, defeated him with the help of the Seven Sages – one of witch was Zeruda-hime," _**he explained. **_"Of course that's just the official Hyrulean version. In reality Rinku had help from his lover and together they defeated the evil king. But then they were sent back in time and their defeat of Ganondorofu was undone as Rinku warned the Princess of what would happen should she proceed as she'd planned. I don't know what happened to Ganondorofu after that. Rinku left Hairaru and travelled after his lover to Earth…" _**Link smirked. **_"The Hero of Time and the Chosen One destined to save one world each and they did it together,"_** he said.

Midna looked at Link with a raised eyebrow. **_"As far as I know the era of the Hero of Time is legend these days. How can you know these things?"_** she asked.

Link smiled at her. **_"I'm from Earth and they are my Grandfathers,"_** he said.

**_"_****_But how?"_**

**_"_****_Ah, you see time travel differently in different worlds and it does not align between worlds unless it is forced somehow. That meant that Rinku left this world and travelled to Earth and almost sixty years past on there while hundreds of years past here in Hairaru. I bet you that the time in the Twilight Realm moves differently as well though that might have been locked to Hyrulean time via the mirror. But it would still be different in accordance to Earth time. Technically I guess that one could travel back in time if they travelled past enough worlds,"_** Link said. He looked up at Grimmjow. **_"Do you know what year it was on Earth when you went there?"_** he asked.

The bluenet shrugged. It wasn't like he paid attention to things like that.

Link chuckled and his stomach rumbled. He blinked at the sound and then he blushed brightly.

**_"_****_Hungry?"_** Grimmjow asked with a smirk and Midna giggled.

The blond raised an eyebrow at the imp. **_"Don't tell me that the two of you have buried the hatchet now, have you?" _**he asked.

Midna rolled her eyes. **_"He's still an inconsiderate brute with no manners,"_** she said but then she smiled softly. **_"But he cares about you and he's really powerful so I guess I can stand him."_**

**_"_****_Kohni,"_** Grimmjow said.

**_"_****_Bobo,"_** she responded.

The bluenet growled. **_"You watch it or I'll turn you into a chew toy,"_** he hissed.

**_"_****_Not with me in your lap, you won't,"_** Link said.

Grimmjow blinked and looked down. **_"Meinu,"_** he said.

**_"_****_Your bitch,"_** Link responded. Warm arms tightened around his waist. **_"My bitch,"_** Grimmjow purred.

Laughter filled the air.

…

A few hours later, after Link had gotten something to eat, the blond stood up from the comfort of Grimmjow's lap. **_"We might as well get this part over with,"_** he said as he walked up to one of the many huge chains that disappeared into the sand by the Goddess statue. He climbed up the chain swiftly until he was high enough to jump to the first loop of the snake that wrapped itself around the golden statue. He jumped, grabbed the golden band and pulled himself up. The band was thin but not so thin that he couldn't run along it. He reached the top platform above the goddess' head and a hand reached down for him. He smiled up at Grimmjow as the bluenet pulled him up. He landed next to another of those blasted gear locks and sighed. As he kneeled down, he took a deep breath. **_"I'll be useless after this," _**he said. **_"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to skip most of the temple."_** He looked up at Midna, who hadn't disappeared back into his shadow for once. He pointed up at the fire emblem. **_"If the Sages show up after I've done this will you, please help Gurimujō talk to them, Okay?"_** he asked her.

Midna tilted her head to the side for a moment and then she nodded. **_"Sure, don't worry we'll deal with them, Rinku,"_** she said before floating over to Grimmjow.

**_"_****_You don't expect to stay awake after this then?"_** the bluenet asked.

Link shrugged. **_"Maybe, but I won't be in any condition to hold a conversation,"_** he said. **_"I just want to get this over with Okay, Gurimujō. We can take a real break after this."_**

Grimmjow watched the blond as he started gathering his magic. It was nowhere near as strong as it usually was. He could feel it just fine, but it was like a spectre of what the blond truly possessed. The gears beneath them moved, and a loud scratchy noise alerted the bluenet to the moving chains. The platform beneath their feet started moving as well; it was sinking.

A dark slab of stone was raised from the sand piled by the statue. The many think long chains were wrapped around it holding it up.

Grimmjow turned around as an angry screech tore through the air. He looked over at the imp. _'Someone isn't happy,'_ he thought. Bending down, he picked Link's exhausted form up from the ground before walking over to the podium where Midna was sitting. He raised his gaze and the reason for the imp's despair became clear. As far as he knew mirrors didn't come in pieces like this, especially not when it was clear that the golden stand before him should hold a full round mirror. He placed Link down carefully.

**_"_****_Midona,"_** the blond said softly. **_"We'll fix… it Midona… just…"_** his tired green eyes rose to the sky, **_"A dark entity lurks in the twilight…"_** he whispered.

Midna looked up. Remembering her promise to the blond, she continued translating, **_"It houses an evil power… You who are guided by fate… You who possess the crest of the goddesses… Hear us."_**

**_"_****_They are speaking to me,"_** Link whispered. He moved slowly so he was leaning against the bluenet's legs.

Grimmjow nodded. He looked up as another of the spectres started speaking.

**_"_****_At the command of the goddesses, we Sages have guarded Kage no Kagami since ancient times," _**Midna translated. **_"You seek it… but the mirror has been fragmented by mighty magic. 'No really,'"_** Midna said. **_"I would never have guessed that."_** She growled at the Sages, but that didn't stop her from continuing the translation for Grimmjow. **_"That magic is a dark power that only HE possesses…"_** she repeated. **_"Who?"_** she asked. **_"Ah, Ganondorofu…"_** Her brows furrowed. She looked over at Grimmjow. **_"Isn't that the guy Rinku told us about earlier?" _**she asked as she noticed the snoozing blond by the man's feet.

Grimmjow nodded. **_"They seem really afraid of him," _**he pointed out. He watched the tall white-haired woman before him. She looked like a warrior but even she was looking uncomfortable speaking of that man.

Midna nodded. She looked up at the speaking Sage. **_"He's talking about Ganondorofu's past… It's pretty much the same story as the one Rinku told us…"_** She hissed at the Sage. **_"These bloody idiots sent him to Kage no Sekai," _**she said. **_"When they had no Hero here to save them they sent him to us and made him our problem instead, bloody moronic cowards."_**

Grimmjow could do little but agree. Cowards was about the nicest thing he thought about these spectres after all.

**_"_****_I sure as voids hope not,"_** Midna said. She looked over to Grimmjow. **_"They think that Ganondorofu's power has been passed on to Zanto…"_** She told him. She looked back to the Sages. "You're just now figuring out where Zant got his power?" she asked them accusingly. "It's far too late…" She sighed as the Sages spoke once more. **_"Only the true leader of the Twili can utterly destroy Kage no Kagami… so Zanto could merely break it into pieces,"_** she translated.

**_"_****_I highly doubt Rinku or I can't destroy the stupid thing, but if you want the honour we won't stop you,"_** Grimmjow told her.

Midna froze. **_"You know?"_** she asked.

Grimmjow shrugged. **_"Rinku figured it out ages ago as I understand it, and when you got so upset over us killing the Twili, I caught on as well,"_** he said. **_"What do the poltergeists up there want now?" _**he asked as the Sages started talking again.

Midna looked up. **_"They say that the mirror pieces are hidden across the land of Hairaru. One is in the snowy mountain heights… one in an ancient grove… and the last is in the heavens_**." She moved down, landing next to the sleeping blond. **_"They say that Rinku should be able to find the three pieces… and they say that the fragments are dangerous."_**

Grimmjow snorted, **_"I doubt that will be a problem." _**He looked at the mirror fragment that sat in place in the stand. If Link was right then this mirror was the only way home for him. Hyrule was O.K. he guesses, but everyone was so fucking weak, and that blasted sun was getting on his nerves.

The Sages faded.

Grimmjow bent down and picked Link up. He wasn't staying here.

Midna disappeared into the blonde's shadow.

The bluenet's body flickered.


	14. Elements and Dreams

**Elements and Dreams**

Grimmjow looked out over the calm water of Lake Hylia. In his lap lay a mess of blond hair. He rubbed Link's neck and shoulder leisurely. The blond had fallen asleep again some time ago. They'd been talking about Aizen … among other things.

His thoughts travelled back to their conversation. He'd described the build up of the Arrancar army and given a rather good description of the ten Espada.

"He sounds a lot like Ganondorf to me," Link had said.

Grimmjow had to agree from what little he knew about the so called evil king. He wanted to beat the crap out of Aizen. He wanted to rule Hueco Mundo really. He looked down at the blond. Link had laughed when he'd said that. He had been ready to teach the teen a lesson when the blond had asked still laughing, "I can be your Queen then, huh?"

It had made him laugh.

He'd also let the blond know what had happened to hurt him before they'd first met. He was going to rip Tōsen to pieces. Sure he'd disobeyed orders like usual, but those cowardly little shits had ganged up on him and chained him down before beating him. Then he guessed they had thrown him to the sands, and he'd somehow ended up here in Hyrule.

Things were going fast here. Not that it was something new. A bitch like Link was rare in Hueco Mundo. Harribel and her Fracciónes were the exception really and Harribel wasn't a real submissive not like Link anyway. So he wasn't going to just sit still and let the blond slip between his fingers. Mated Hollows of any level were stronger than the rest, if it was a true mating. In a true mating the mates were completely equal to each other but the dominant mate tended to be stronger physically and the submissive tended to have more Reiryoku. It was one of those things he just knew. No one had explained these things to him just like no one had told him that most submissives get killed before they got a chance to develop fully.

The only way to change that would be to gain a King in Hueco Mundo that cared enough about the continuation of the race to safeguard the submissives. Harribel would probably like that idea. She was one of the few Espada he could stand so it would be good if he could somehow bring her over to his side.

Of course if what Link said was true then they would cut Hueco Mundo off from both the Human World and those blasted Shinigami. He didn't really know what to think about that. Hollows had always attacked humans hadn't they?

He shrugged. Their worlds had been linked for a long time he was sure. But it wouldn't surprise him if it was the Shinigami that had linked their worlds to begin with.

Link shifted in his lap. A content sigh escaped the blonde's lips.

Grimmjow chuckled softly. He lay back slowly and closed his eyes.

…

It was dark.

A scream sounded through the air.

Grimmjow sat up in his bed. He was up and on his way out off the room within seconds.

"Onessai," he called as he tore another door open. There was a man standing in there. "What the fuck do you think you're doing here?" Grimmjow hissed angrily. "Petite soeur, are you Okay?" he asked the small blond girl among the rumpled sheets.

The girl looked up at him with teary eyes. "Grand frère help me," she pleaded.

Grimmjow moved forward and knocked the man in the room to the floor. "You get the fuck away from my…" A cold barrel touched his neck. He froze. The barrel travelled down, and he could hear the shot.

"Grand frère," the girl whispered terrified.

Grimmjow could feel his knees hit the floor. They hadn't killed him but as the gun sounded again he knew that he could very well bleed out where he lay. Incapable of moving. Incapable of stopping the men from violating his little sister, he watched. He watched as they did it over…

Over

… and over again.

Grimmjow sat up straight breathing heavily. He was angry. _'Those… they…'_ he wanted to kill them. In his anger he didn't notice the body lying in his lap. He didn't realise what he was doing.

"Grimmjow!"

His fingers burned and he pulled away from whatever it was that was hurting him. The palm of his hand was red and he could see bone. It hurt like hell. He pulled himself together and looked up. Link was sitting in front of him. The markings on the teen's body glowed orange. His eyes were open wide and he looked alarmed. "You wouldn't let go off me and you were hurting me I didn't know what else to do… I… I'm sorry but…"

"Shhh… Link calm down," Grimmjow said to stop the blonde's rant. He held his uninjured hand out towards the smaller man.

Link took the hand. He was pulled closer to the bluenet. "Can I?" he asked and held his hands out for Grimmjow's other hand after he'd settled between the taller man's strong legs. The injured hand was placed in his lap, and he studied the third degree burn he'd inflicted. A white glow spread out from his fingers and the sinew, nerves, and flesh re-grew. The blond didn't let go of the hand when he was done. He looked up into cyan-blue eyes and asked, "What did you dream about?" He knew he might not get an answer. Grimmjow was not the most sharing of people after all.

The bluenet pulled the smaller man with him as he lay back down. He looked up at the still dark sky and sighed. He had scared Link. He knew he had. He pulled his newly healed hand out off the blonde's grasp and ran his fingers through the soft blond looks on the teen's head. "I don't know if it was just a dream or if it was memories but…

…"

He told Link about what had happened.

* * *

Days past…

Link was slowly growing stronger.

The blond would spend a lot of time during the day in deep meditation which left Grimmjow with nothing to do and no one to talk to unless Midna decided to show up.

It was late.

Grimmjow was heading back to Lake Hylia after a day of exploring the vast lands of Hyrule. He landed by the old watchtower and looked around. Link wasn't there. _'Where has he disappeared off to now?'_ he wondered. It irritated him sometimes that the teen was so good at hiding his Reiatsu. There weren't many Arrancar who could do it as successfully as Link. Grimmjow couldn't call the blond a human anymore. He smelled nothing like a human – actually he smelled more like Midna than any other being in this world. Oh, well, if he couldn't follow the teen's Reiatsu he would follow his scent.

The panther sniffed at the ground. The trail ended abruptly in the centre of a small island. The feline tiled his head to the side. _'Now what?'_ he wondered.

Then he felt it. Strong and bright, Link's Reiatsu flared. Grimmjow took off towards the flare. He landed back by the tower. The scent of burnt grass was the first thing he noticed when his Sonído ended. More burnt grass and he could feel warm hands landing on his back.

"See Grimmjow I managed," Link exclaimed excitedly.

Grimmjow turned around and his white armour changed to white hakama and jacket as he stood up. Arms wrapped around his waist and heat enveloped him. His vision blurred for a moment as everything turned a strange shade of flickering orange. He staggered away from the arms holding him and breathed in deeply. "What the fuck did you just…" he fell silent as he looked down at Lake Hylia down below. They were standing on the railing to the Great Bridge of Hylia. He turned to Link. "You what? Flared?" he asked.

The blond nodded. He looked at the bluenet sheepishly. "Sorry for just dragging you off but well I just got it to work properly and… oh, shit are you O.K?" he said. He was standing right in front of Grimmjow within seconds. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked as his hands ran over the bluenet's chest searching for injuries. A strong arm wrapped around his back, and he was pressed closer to Grimmjow.

"I'm fine," the bluenet said. He lowered his head and caught the blonde's lips in a rough kiss. He was rewarded with a low moan. Soft lips parted hungrily and he slipped his tongue into the hot cavern of the other's mouth. Strong fingers tangled in the hair at the back of his neck and pulled lightly. He growled into the kiss. Then he turned them and took a step back. Wind rushed past them as they fell.

Link broke free from the lip-lock and giggled. He looked down at the approaching water and reached out with his magic. A whirlpool appeared beneath them. It went deep down in the lake and swirled around them as the water decreased the speed they had gained during the fall. Link did not want to become a bloody splatter on the water surface.

The whirlpool closed above them. Water surrounded them.

Grimmjow's eyes narrowed. He couldn't breathe down there. A string of bubbles had him looking down at Link. The blond smiled at him brightly. The markings on his skin turned bluish, and he seemed to merge with the water around him. Grimmjow spun full circle. He could still feel the blonde's Reiatsu so he wasn't too worried but that was freaky. He remembered that he was still surrounded by water and Sonído-ed up above the water surface. "That was fucking freaky," he said as he felt Link move up behind him. He turned around and narrowed his eyes.

The person standing behind him was completely made out of water. The water clone walked up to him swaying its hips. Translucent fingers reached up to his face and ran along his jawline. Grimmjow growled at it. He grabbed the clone by the throat and squeezed. The water dripped back down into the lake. Grimmjow turned towards the watchtower with the intention to Sonído when another water clone appeared… and another… and another until he was completely surrounded. Their eyes started glowing all at the same time and every single water clone held a hand out. Water rose to the outstretched hands and blades froze in place in their holds. As one they moved forward, trying their very best to pierce the bluenet with their blades.

Grimmjow had been irritated with the first clone, but he now spotted a huge grin. He'd been waiting for Link to show him just what he was made off. He drew Pantera and ripped one of the water clones to pieces. He tore through the enemies cutting, hacking, and stabbing as he went. He didn't care about the injuries he sustained as he fought the Link lookalikes. His blade cut through the water easily, but then he was suddenly meeting a lot more resistance. He froze. It wasn't water that was dripping down into the lake. It was blood. He looked up at what he had believed to be just another clone.

The water gave way to pale-skin and honey-blond hair. The glowing eyes faded and turned green. Link coughed once and blood came dripping down his chin. He reached up slowly and grabbed Pantera's blade. He pulled it out of his chest and staggered back.

Grimmjow was standing there watching the blond. He couldn't quite believe that he'd just…

Another water clone rose behind the dying blond. "I'll have to get better at that," it said and the body of the blond disappeared into the water as the new clone gained Link's colouring. He walked up to the frozen Arrancar and placed his hand on the man's cheek. "Hey, Grimmjow, I'm fine don't worry," he said softly. The bluenet's arm wrapped around him tightly. His head was yanked to the side and he could feel teeth digging into his shoulder. "Argh," he hissed. "Grimm," he whimpered. "That hurts."

The teeth left his shoulder and a tongue swiped over the wound gently. "Don't You Ever Do That To Me Again," Grimmjow said. He grabbed the blonde's shin and turned his head so they were facing each other.

"Je suis désolé," Link whispered. "I didn't mean to get stabbed you know. That sort of just happened."

"But you could have not made that clone look like you," Grimmjow growled.

Link bit his lip. "Yeah, I know but I wanted to know if I could and … it was really stupid to do it like that," he said. He bumped his cheek against the bluenet's bare chest.

"You're just way too good at hiding your presence," Grimmjow said and he tightened his hold on the blond. "I couldn't tell the difference between the clones and the real you… the blood smelled weird though," he confessed.

Link nodded. "We'll have to work that out somehow," he said. "You have nightmares enough right now without adding to them."

Grimmjow huffed. He Sonído-ed them to the base of the watchtower and sat down still holding the blond tightly.

"Bad Link," Link said a bit forced. "Bad Link is getting hugged to death." He shifted so he could press a kiss to Grimmjow's cheek. "We need to learn how to work together when we fight," he said as he rested his chin on the bluenet's shoulder. "Otherwise we will just cause each other harm."

Grimmjow tilted his head to the side so he could look at the blond. His grip loosened somewhat and Link sat up so they could actually see more than a blur when they were looking at each other. "So we need to work on battle strategy and you still need to figure out what you're capable of doing…?" he said.

Link nodded. "Something like that… I want to see just what I can do with the clones and see if I can make them without water around and then there is another thing I wanna try but well…" he shrugged. "I'll get there… it's nothing that will hurt either of us."

Grimmjow chuckled. He reached up and placed his hand on the back of the blonde's neck. "As long as you don't try to get yourself killed again I'm fine with you trying things out," he said. He pulled the smaller male down into a breathtaking kiss.

Tongues moved.

Chests were pressed together.

They broke apart in dire need of air. Link lay down on top off Grimmjow's chest. He smiled softly as the bluenet's fingers started moving through his hair. They lay like that until they fell asleep, talking about this and that basking in each others warmth.

…

Grimmjow drifted. The scents around him changed. Warmth spread over his face and body. He opened his eyes slowly. For once he was aware of the fact that he was dreaming. He stood up slowly. He was surrounded by trees. The leaves were turning yellow and red and orange, alerting the bluenet to the fact that it was autumn. It wasn't until then that he realised that despite the warmth of the sun hitting him through the leaves, he was cold. He looked down at himself and saw torn and tattered dirty clothes. They hung pathetically over a too thin chest and waist. His feet were bare.

"Pathetic," he breathed. He noticed as his body started moving on its own. He tore through the tree line, running as fast as his tired legs could carry him. He must have known where he was going back when this actually happened.

Grimmjow had lost track of time when he finally made it out off the forest. It was dark now. The moon was barely visible behind the clouds. His eyes were used to the darkness though. He scanned the open area before him.

A flickering light caught his attention.

He growled.

It didn't matter that he was exhausted any more. That light reminded him of why he was out there to begin with. His hand went to a heavy knife he was carrying with him.

The light became bigger as he closed in on it. His bare feet were almost soundless as he slowed down.

A grin spread over the bluenet's face. The lookout was staring into the bright flames of their fire. _'Stupid man,'_ he thought as he moved forward silently. He moved forward quickly and slit the man's throat. Warm blood spread over his hands. He pulled in a satisfied breath before going from man to man silently cutting their throats open.

Soon enough there were only two men left.

Grimmjow's eyes widened as he realised just who they were. They were the ones who had forced themselves on Onessai. Simply killing these men was not enough for him. He wanted them to suffer. Thankfully his younger human self seemed to agree with him.

The men were tied down before he kicked them awake. He wanted them to know what was going to happen. He wanted them to be aware for this. "Wach auf!" he growled in German.

The men woke up. They blinked owlishly a few times before a pair of mud-brown eyes landed on the bluenet's tattered form. He tried to get up only to notice that he was tied down. "Was zum Teufel!" he exclaimed. "Binde mich los!"

Grimmjow just sneered at him. He wasn't in the mood to talk to these creeps.

"Dies ist für meine Schwester," he growled as he pressed the tip of his knife down just over the man's cock. He moved the blade down slowly.

The man screamed and Grimmjow laughed maniacally. He looked over to the other man and saw fear. He stood up. His eyes were filled with bloodlust. His clothes were drenched in red. Beneath him his first victim lay whimpering. His friend tried to beg for mercy but there was none to be found with the bluenet. He'd kill both of these disgusting morons for what they had done to his sister.

Grimmjow's eyes opened. The moon stood high in the sky. A warm weight lay on his chest. Soft hair tickled his chin. He sat up slowly with his left arm holding Link so he wouldn't fall. He shifted the blond down in his lap and sighed. He wondered what had happened to his little sister after he'd died in the war. They had been fighting the Germans. They had been fighting someone that reminded him of both Aizen and this Ganondorf that they might be facing here in Hyrule.

He sighed and looked down at Link. He blinked as green eyes met blue.

"You had another dream," the blond said softly. He reached up and stroked the bluenet's cheek.

Grimmjow nodded. "I can remember more now," he said as he looked out over Lake Hylia. He sat there silent for a while before looking back down at Link. "Does the name Hitler mean anything to you?" he asked.

Green eyes blinked in surprise. "He was a dictator who took control over Germany in the 1930s to 1940s. He ordered the death off a lot of people. The Wizard Gellert Grindelwald worked behind the scenes in that war. He wanted as high a dearth count as he could because he thought non-magicals were filth," Link said.

Grimmjow's eyebrows furrowed. "When did that happen in relation to your…" he trailed off.

Link smiled at him. "It happened about a hundred years before I was born," he said.

"You mean I died almost a hundred years before you were even born," Grimmjow said with a sigh.

Link giggled. "Old man," he said teasingly.

"Brat," Grimmjow returned.

"You're a dirty old man actually," Link said then.

"Oh, hush with you," Grimmjow responded.

Link smiled at him. He raised the hand that had fallen to his chest earlier back up to the bluenet's face and stroked the Hollow mask. "What is bothering you?" he asked.

Grimmjow sighed, "Well I guess she isn't alive still if it's been so long since…"

"That depends on what year it is back on Earth in connection to Hueco Mundo you know," Link said.

Grimmjow nodded. "I killed the men that hurt my little sister," he said after a while.

The blonde shrugged. "I can't say I'm surprised," he said.

Grimmjow lay back down against the warm rock face and closed his eyes. He could feel how Link moved up his body and settled back down with his head just under his chin.

"We should go see what Telma's crew has to say tomorrow," Link said softly. He yawned and nuzzled the bluenet's cheek tiredly.

Grimmjow nodded. He lay awake for a while longer. The blonde's breath came in calming puffs against his chest. There was still a lot missing from his memory, but he could understand his behaviour around Link better now. Not all of it could be explained by him courting the teen.

Blue eyes drifted closed slowly.


	15. A Mighty Mountain

**A Mighty Mountain**

**_"_****_That's not really it though, Midona,"_** Link said.

**_"_****_But what else could it be?"_** Midna responded. **_"I mean even Zeruda-hime thought that was it, right?"_**

**_"_****_I'd have to agree with Rinku on this one_**," Grimmjow said, finally tired enough of listening to them to interrupt.

**_"_****_Like that is something new. It's not like you ever agree with me… not against Rinku at least,"_** Midna said and rolled her eyes.

Grimmjow shrugged. **_"It's not just that. I somehow doubt that youjo-hime is right, Rinku's scent has been slowly changing from human to something much closer to your scent,"_** he said and gave the imp a pointed look.

Midna's brows furrowed. **_"He smells like me?"_** she asked.

**_"_****_More like what I imagine is the general scent of a Twili_**," Grimmjow explained. **_"Zanto has it too. It's just very well buried beneath that stench he's carrying around."_**

**_"_****_So you're saying he's becoming a Twili?"_** Midna asked. She didn't really know what to think about that.

**_"_****_A Twili hybrid,"_** Grimmjow said.

**_"_****_Oh, that sounds great,"_** Link said sarcastically. **_"And if I now don't smell like a human then what the hell is the other part of what I am if I'm a hybrid,"_** he asked.

Grimmjow blinked. He hadn't actually thought much about that. He reached out and grabbed the blonde's hand, pulling him into a tight embrace. He lowered his head and sniffed the smaller man. He could smell what he believed to be Twili together with a muskier smell that became stronger if Link turned into his beast form. Then there was the blonde's own crisp vanilla scent.

"That tickles, Grimmjow," Link said as he struggled weakly to get away from the feeling.

Grimmjow chuckled softly which only made Link squirm more. He tilted his head. Scent separation was not an easy thing to do. There was something else there, but he couldn't quite pinpoint it. Then he froze. "Use an element," he said.

"Which element?" Link asked.

"It doesn't really matter, I'd rather not get killed," Grimmjow answered.

Link rolled his eyes. He held out a hand and focused. Fire sprung from his fingertips and the marking on his skin turned orange.

Grimmjow nodded. "Pick another element," he said. The fire slowly morphed into a small ball of whirling air, and he smirked. "I can smell your elemental ability," he said.

**_"_****_So I'm some kind of bizarre Twili-elemental hybrid that looks like a Hylian,"_** Link said, switching back to Japanese.

Grimmjow shrugged. **_"Does it really matter,"_** he asked.

Link blinked. He thought about the question for a moment. Did it really matter what race he was? He looked up into Grimmjow's cyan-blue eyes. The bluenet was some sort of daemon he guessed. _'Does it matter?' _he asked himself once more. Back on Earth it would have, he knew that, but they weren't on Earth. They were in Hyrule and they might not even be staying… _**"**_**_Īe,"_** he said, **_"it doesn't actually matter to me."_**

**_"_****_And it doesn't matter to me so can we drop it now?"_** Grimmjow said.

Link chuckled. He wrapped his arms around the bluenet's neck and pressed a kiss against the man's lips. **_"I was just curious about the markings to begin with you know," _**he said cheerfully.

**_"_****_Well, they are Twili markings, but they seem to change colour depending on which element you are controlling,"_** Midna said.

Link turned to her and nodded. **_"I'll have to work on that,"_** he said. He looked up at Hyrule Castle. It was still surrounded by that strange orange barrier that had appeared after they'd talked to Zelda. **_"Come on let's go talk to Teruma and see if Asshu has any information on that mountain of hers,"_** he said.

Midna nodded. **_"Okay, I'll just return to your shadow then. We don't have to scare the humans anymore than necessary, now do we?_**" she said and disappeared.

Grimmjow chuckled. **_"She means I don't actually need help scaring them,"_** he said.

Link snorted. He grabbed the bluenet's hand and led them over the bridge when…

"Mr Link! WAAAAAAIT!"

The blond turned slightly. It was the Postman. "Days blessings to you," he said politely when the man had caught up with them.

"Greetings, Mr Link! I have come to deliver a letter," the Postman said and reached back into his backpack. "It is a letter from Barnes," he said as he handed the blond the letter.

"Thank you," Link said as he accepted the envelope.

"Well, my business is concluded! Onward to mail!" the Postman said before taking off.

"Insane man," Grimmjow muttered as the Postman left. "What did he want this time?" he asked Link.

The blond opened the envelope and pulled the letter out. He skimmed through it quickly. "The Bomshop in Cocorico has new bombs in stock," he said.

"Cocorico?" Grimmjow asked. Sure he'd been travelling around and exploring, but that didn't let him know what places were called.

Link nodded. "It's a small village to the east," he said. "It lies just beneath Montagne de la Mort…" and so the blond cast himself into describing what had happened in the small village and nearby volcano. He only stopped to walk into the bar, ask Telma what and who was up next and to refill their stock. He came back out and continued the story while leading Grimmjow north.

…

"Want to see who can get to the top first?" Link asked as he stopped by the Castle outlet from the Zora River.

Grimmjow looked up at the dark tunnel. "Sure," he said with a smirk, and then he was gone.

Link muttered as he took off after his lover. "I'll get you for that," he said. His body melded with the water, and he focused his magic on finding the bluenet. When he did, two arms reached up out off the water and grabbed Grimmjow by the ankles before dragging him down into the water.

Splash!

The bluenet pulled himself back up, spluttering as he did so. He looked up just in time to see Link speed past him. The blond was grinning madly. "Why you little…" he hissed as he shook water from his body. He narrowed his eyes and Sonído-ed in two steppes. He grabbed the blond and pressed him up against the tunnel wall. "I should punish you for that," he hissed threateningly.

Link looked up at him with big innocent eyes. "What will you do to me Master?" he asked child-like. "Will you spank me?" He giggled and disappeared down into the water beneath their feet.

Grimmjow growled. That boy was going to drive him nuts one day; he just knew it. He took a calming breath before taking off after the blond. He followed the river to a small lake. As he walked up through a tunnel, he could feel how the air got colder, and the water clinging to him started freezing. It didn't really bother him but the stiffness of his once wet clothes was getting uncomfortable. Cold wind blew past him as he finally saw an end to the tunnel. He Sonído-ed to the exit and saw Link talking to the warrior girl Ashei up ahead. The blond turned as he got closer. "Oh, shit," he said. "I'm sorry." He reached out and grabbed Grimmjow. Warmth spread from his fingers and thawed the bluenet's frozen clothes. "Are you alright?" he asked the concern apparent in his voice.

Grimmjow shrugged. "I don't get cold or warm like humans do. My skin is too thick for that," he said.

Link smiled at him. "And I'm a walking furnace so I guess we won't have any bigger problems with this place then," he said. He'd finally managed to regain his lost control over his powers – not only that but he was much stronger now. "Ash was just telling me about a giant that has been stealing fish from Zora's Domain. She wonders if we could look into it," he told the bluenet.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "I'm more interested in the fact that the glowing bunch of misfits told us there was a piece of the mirror hidden in the mountains, but we can look into the giant thing on the way I guess," he said.

Link nodded. He turned to Ashei as said, "We'll look into it we're heading up there anyway," he told her.

"In that case I hope you have some sort of plan. I would continue myself, but I can barely see anything through the snowstorm," Ashei said.

"Oh, that won't be a problem Ashei. Thank you for your help," Link said before he grabbed Grimmjow and dragged the bluenet with him. He looked out over the snow filled valley before them. _'Well, we won't get anywhere if we don't go down there,'_ he thought before he tugged at the bluenet's hand and jumped. The snow around them thickened as the walked. "Can you smell that?" he asked. The snow was so thick now that they could barely see a thing. If they walked apart they would lose each other within seconds.

Grimmjow scrunched his nose. "Yeah, I can smell it," he answered.

"Wanna bet that if we follow that scent we'll find the giant," Link said.

Grimmjow snorted.

They had been walking as they talked. The ankle deep snow beneath their feet had turned to ice floes. The air was cold and the snow whirled around them. No matter how uncomfortable it was they couldn't simply Sonído – or in Link's case out there Mist – since they were following a scent.

A howl tore through the air.

Link grabbed Grimmjow's arm and stopped. The first howl was met by others. The blond counted at least nine different voices. "Please don't attack them," he asked Grimmjow.

The bluenet removed his hand from the hilt of his sword. "What are they?" he asked. Sure they sounded like wolves, but the scent was off somehow.

"They are wolfos," Link answered. He moved forward a few steps. His skin rippled. The wolf turned his head to Grimmjow. 'Like me.' He sat down on his haunches, lifted his head and howled.

Then they waited.

'You intrude upon our home, warm one,' the voice drifted through the air. A flurry of snow blew by and a pack of white-furred wolves became visible. Their red eyes glowed menacingly in star contrast to the glowing white fur.

'We mean you and yours no harm. We're simply travelling through,' Link said calmly. 'There is a danger in these mountains that must be dealt with or all may be lost.'

The alpha wolfos though the warm ones words over. The outsider was showing no deceit, but the blood he could smell on these two made him nervous. It was not a common thing for him to feel frightened. He was older than most of his kin but also far stronger despite his age.

'What are we waiting for,' one of the younger wolfos growled. 'They are intruding let's kill them. If the alpha is so weak he sends his female to talk to us…'

'I would rethink that if I were you,' Grimmjow growled. He was fully capable of understanding and using beast language even in his more humane form. 'My bitch speaks with your alpha out off respect for your kin. Not because I am in anyway weak.'

'Big words from one on two legs,' the wolfos growled.

Link looked at the alpha wolfos. 'He could get you all killed if my mate decides he no longer wishes to heed my request,' he said.

The alpha sighed. 'Is there anyway to avoid such a massacre?' he asked.

Link nodded. 'Let the pup fight my mate. I can guarantee that the only thing he'll lose is his dignity,' he said.

The alpha nodded. 'So be it,' he said. 'He could use the lesson.'

Link nodded and walked over to Grimmjow. The bluenet's hand landed in the soft fur on his head. 'Can you do this without hurting anything but his pride, love?' he asked the man.

Grimmjow nodded. He walked forward, and as he did so his skin rippled. He stood before the white wolfos in his full armoured glory. Wolfos might be bigger than Earth wolves, but Link was bigger than wolfos and Grimmjow bigger than him.

The young wolfos bolted forward and attacked.

The fight – if you could call it that – was short lived. One has to remember that wolves fight and hunt best in packs while most felines live alone. The outcome of the fight was determined before it had even started by the inherent nature of the beings the combatants were.

'Thank you and safe travels to you, young wolfos. May you find what you seek,' the alpha wolfos said once Grimmjow had let go off the rude pup he'd fought.

'Thank you elder. May your pack forever grow strong and healthy,' Link replied.

The wind picked up, and the wolfos disappeared.

* * *

They had been climbing for a while now. The snow had finally lifted, and they could see clearly again. There were some ice keese flying around up there, but that was about the extent of life on the snowy mountain so far.

"Would you like to tell me why the scent disappears into the mountain," Grimmjow said.

Link rolled his eyes playfully. He walked up next to the bluenet. He placed a hand on the mountainside. "It's hollow," he said. He tilted his head. "There is an opening beneath us." He breathed in and thick white steam rose form the ground as the snow around them melted.

Soon enough a cave opening was uncovering. Another few keese were killed quickly. Up a ladder and a set of vines that Link really wondered how they could possibly grow where it was so old, they went. At the end of the cave or tunnel there was a door, a door which had two gigantic handprints on it.

Link placed his hands on the door and pushed it before rolling it aside.

"I wonder if we get to fight that guy," Grimmjow said as they cut a cloud of ice keese to pieces.

Link shrugged. "I've got this feeling that we won't but who knows," he said. He reached out and grabbed Grimmjow's arm. He pulled the bluenet close and kissed him. "Shadow beasts," he mumbled as he let go.

Thwomp!

Grimmjow sighed. "So cut them down but don't kill them, right?" he said. He received a nod from the blond and moved forward. Coordinated and precise, they had no bigger problem with taking down the three transformed Twili.

Link hummed as he pushed his sword back into its scabbard. It had started snowing again, but it wasn't as heavy now. "The more it snows,

Tiddely pom

The more it goes

Tiddely pom

The more it goes

On snowing

And nobody knows

Tiddely pom

How cold my toes

Tiddely pom

How cold my toes

Are growing[1],"

he hummed as they walked up a small hill.

Grimmjow had taken the blonde's hand as the teen started singing. Right now, however, he was seriously reconsidering that decision. He raised an eyebrow at the sight before him when they reached the top of the hill. The creature was big – at least twice his own height – and had a thick white coat of fur. On its head it carried a horse saddle for some unknown reason, and the fish it was holding was easily bigger then him. _'How do they get fish that size in that small domain?_' he wondered. The fish was still flapping about helplessly which was strange in itself since it had been out off the water for quite some time by then.

As they got closer the giant turned around. "Uh! Whoa-ho!" it exclaimed. "I heard ruckus, and uh! Just humans!"

Link smiled softly. He was so glad that Grimmjow didn't understand Hylian right now. The bluenet would have gone berserk. "Yeah," he said. "We're just humans."

"I see humans not often, uh? Why humans come to snows?" the giant asked in a booming voice. "You… on spiritual journey? You look for true self?"

Link tilted his head to the side slightly. "Well, I guess you could call it that, yes," he said.

The giant started laughing. Then he said, "…That was joke. Yetis joke too, uh."

Link chuckled warmly. "I'm sure they do, but the spirits did send us on a journey," he said.

"Uh, you look for something else, uh? Tell truth," the yeti said.

"Yes we are looking for a mirror piece. It is very dangerous," Link said.

"…Uh. You look for mirror in such faraway place…" He laughed. "Why you not say so before? But you make good climb! And you lucky to meet me! I found shiny mirror piece. Same mirror you look for, uh?" he said.

Link nodded. "It most likely is yes," he said.

"Uh! You come to house and see yourselves! I caught fish. I make you hot meal, at least…" the yeti said.

"That would be very nice. Thank you," Link said.

"My house far away… We slide there, uh? Do like me! Come!" the yeti said. He walked up to the tree he'd been standing next to and slammed a big fist into it. One of the frozen leaves fell from the tree's branches. The giant stepped into the leaf with one foot – nothing else would fit despite the size of the leaves – and kicked off. He disappeared down the mountain quickly.

Link turned to Grimmjow. "He found a mirror piece that most likely is the one we're looking for, and he has invited us for dinner," he told the bluenet.

"So we need to follow him then?" Grimmjow asked.

Link nodded. "Let's go," he said before disappearing.

…

They did not slide down the mountain.

When they finally stopped, it was in front of a huge snow covered manor house.

Drojalam!

Link smiled at Midna as she appeared beside him. **_"…Koko?"_** she asked. "**_What's with this guy? He's got a nice place… for a beast man,"_** she said.

Link snorted. **_"Hai it is a nice place,"_** he said. **_"So, do you listen in on conversations often?"_** he asked the imp.

Midna shrugged. **_"Most of the time it is kind of boring since you and blue talk that Earth language that I don't understand," _**she said.

**_"_****_Thank the heavens for that,"_** Grimmjow said. **_"I need some sort of compensation for all that Hylian that's spoken around here."_**

Link started laughing and Midna stuck her tongue out at the bluenet.

**_"_****_Very mature Kage-hime,"_** Grimmjow said. He caught the blond as the smaller man lost his footing and collapsed in a fit of laughter. **_"There, there Rinku calm down,"_** he said. He smiled as tears started running down the blonde's face. "Beautiful," he whispered before bending down for a kiss, finally silencing the bell-like laughter.

**_"_****_Oh, for shadows sake stop that,"_** Midna exclaimed after a while.

The men broke apart and looked at her. **_"Me thinky that Midona is jealous_**," Link stage-whispered. He looked up at Grimmjow. They had started moving up the stairs to the manor.

**_"_****_Jealous! Me!"_** Midna said. **_"Why would I be jealous of you? He's an…"_**

**_"_****_I didn't mean that you want Gurimujō, Midona," _**Link interrupted her. **_"He's mine you couldn't get him even if you wanted too."_** He pulled the double doors to the manor open and stepped inside.

Midna had blinked surprised at the blonde's tone. She knew that the bluenet was possessive but to hear Link speak like that was something new. She looked over at the masked man. He didn't seem to be the least bit affected by what the blond had said. She shook her head. She was never going to understand these two.

They had entered an enormous entrance hall with a thick red carpet on the floor and suits of armour lining the walls. A grand staircase led to the second floor, or it would have if it wasn't broken. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling which was made out of some sort of dark wood and had huge holes in it. The red carpet ended and tiles were missing from the floor. In their stead there was clear slippery ice.

**_"_****_Nice place,"_** Grimmjow said sarcastically.

Link hummed in response. **_"I'd hate to see what the rest of the place looks like,"_** he said.

* * *

[1] Belongs to A. A. Milne from The House at Pooh Corner


	16. Have some Fish Soup or …

**Have some Fish Soup or Where did I put my Keys?**

Warning: Sex-scene ahead.

* * *

"Atchoo!" Yeta leaned back against her comfy red pillows. She stared off into the dancing flames in the fireplace. Her head was all foggy. She sighed contently. Her husband had returned not to long ago. He'd brought fish with him. She smiled softly.

The door as it opened. She turned towards the sound. "…Who?" she asked.

A green clad young human stepped into the room together with a blue-haired man.

"Uh… Sorry," she said and coughed, "I have sickness, uh…"

The green clad human smiled at her. "That's fine," he said. "We don't get sick easily." His tone was kind and reassuring.

"Come closer, uh?" Yeta said. She watched as the humans walked up to her. The smaller human was blond with glowing markings lighting his features up. He was cute. The second and taller human was handsome not cute. His striking blue hair and strange bone mask had to make him a rarity among humans. She tilted her head to the side slightly as she noticed a black hole located in the blue-haired man's abdomen. That was strange. She smiled at them as they sat down on the carpet in front of her. "You cute little human. Husband told me you come. You want to look at mirror, uh?" she said. Her husband had told her that the little blond did the talking so she had decided to address him.

"Yes, we would like to see the mirror if that is alright with you," the blond said.

Yeta nodded slowly. "My husband found it, but it pretty thing, uh," she said. "But," she coughed, "since I get mirror, I get sick, and then bad monsters appeared… So many bad things happen since mirror… So we lock bedroom on third floor where it hangs, uh? Wait… I tell you where key is… take map it help you find."

The blond stood up and walked over to where the map lay. He picked it up carefully and walked back to his spot on the floor.

"Fever makes head blurry, but… It probably be in small room on the first floor east side," Yeta said.

The human, who hadn't sat back down again, came up to her and pointed at the map. "Here?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered. "But right now," she coughed again, "can't even get up. Would you bring it to me, uh?"

He smiled softly at her. "Of course we can," he said.

Yeta nodded slowly. "Start with door right here…" she said.

The human thanked her. He reached out and pulled the blue-haired one up from the floor and walked through the door.

…

Yeto pulled his knife back up from the orange fish's body.

Thud!

He slammed the knife back down, splitting the fish in two. He was worried about Yeta. Her sickness wasn't getting better. _'Soup help wife,'_ he thought as he brought the chopped up fish over to a huge cauldron.

Splash!

Yeto stood there by his cauldron and stirred the soup once in a while so the fish wouldn't burn to the bottom. Every now and then he would walk over to one of the barrels or cups in the kitchen, pick something up, walk back and drop it into the boiling cauldron. He stirred slowly while raising his unoccupied hand up and scratching his head slowly.

The door creaked as it opened and Yeto looked up from the soup. "Uh! You!" he said in his booming voice as he saw the two humans come walking into the room. "Wife… look bad, uh? Not healthy since mirror… So I make soup or her. Fish from Zora village are most nutritious!" he said as the humans came closer. "You tried, uh? You have some. It give you energy!" He watched as the little blond human got up on the crates next to the cauldron and dipped a bottle into the soup. He said something to his companion before jumping back down. "Thank you!" he said before the two humans walked over to the door that led outside and opened it.

Yeto hoped that the mirror would not make his wife worse if they gave it to the humans.

* * *

"What the fuck is the meaning of this?" Grimmjow said as he pulled a pumpkin out off the chest the female yeti had instructed them to go to.

"It looks like a pumpkin," Link said calmly. Oh, he was a bit irritated sure, but his temper was nowhere near as bad as the bluenet's.

Drojalam!

**_"_****_What is going on?"_** Midna asked as she appeared.

Link turned to the imp. He explained what had happened.

**_"_****_So basically whimsy just led to a vegetable rather than the key and blue over there is pissed-off because of that,"_** Midna said.

**_"_****_Hai, something like that, but the yeti female has a high fever and high fevers tend to make your head really fuzzy,"_** he said with a shrug.

**_"_****_Oh, well, we better go back and try to get her to remember where the key is then,"_** Midna said.

Link nodded slowly. He walked over to Grimmjow and took the pumpkin away from him. "Calm down," he said before leaning in and kissing the bluenet's cheek.

Grimmjow muttered but he followed the blond through the next door. He sighed as they ended up in the same room they'd started in. The ice on the floor gleamed in the faint sunlight streaming from the broken ceiling. He went with Link back to the female yeti and glared at her.

The blond spoke to the yeti before turning around, saying, "Wait here, I'll be right back." He walked over to the kitchen door and disappeared.

Grimmjow looked over at Midna, who hadn't disappeared down into Link's shadow this time. **_"Do you have any idea why we even bother with these two?"_** he asked her.

The imp shrugged. **_"Rinku has been raised to be polite and helpful I guess,"_** she said. **_"He isn't always too pleased about helping certain people but… it worked in my favour so I'm not complaining."_**

Grimmjow nodded slowly. He guessed he'd be dead now if the blond didn't care about complete strangers so in a way he couldn't complain either. This giant still pissed him off all the same though. He looked up as Link re-entered the room. Walking up to the teen, he reached out and grabbed a tight hold on the blonde's arm. He pulled the teen closer, reached out, tilted his head up and kissed him deeply. His tongue demanded entrance into the teen's hot wet cavern. He pushed Link up against the wall as he dominated the kiss. The little bitch was making such wonderful noises when he did this. The boy was so sensitive. He could feel warm puffs of air brushing against his cheek as the blond breathed out. His fingers travelled down from the blonde's face and his hands settled by his hips.

Then a loud moan tore through the air and Grimmjow could feel himself getting pushed back. They broke apart, Link breath in deeply. He leaned his head against the bluenet's muscular chest. "If we continue… this. We'll never get things… done and…" he looked up at the bluenet, his green eyes gleaming in the light from the fireplace. "I'm still not…" he fell silent.

Grimmjow started to chuckle. He ran a hand through soft blond locks. "You worry too much," he said. He leaned in and nibbled on the blonde's throat. He moved his mouth up to a pointed ear and mumbled, "I keep forgetting that you're still so young." He rubbed a hand down a green clad side. "Don't worry. You're my bitch, I'll take care of you," he said. He could feel the blond shudder. It made him smile. He pulled the blond closer, enveloping him in a hug. "You better go ask her where she has that key again," he said softly.

Link sighed. He didn't want to move away from Grimmjow. He turned slightly and smiled as he saw Midna sitting on one of the small round tables in the room. The light from the fireplace made her hair come alive in a way he'd never seen before. She was tapping her fingers impatiently as she watched him. He could feel a faint blush spreading over his cheeks slowly as he started walking.

**_"_****_Having fun?"_** Midna asked when he got closer to her.

Link rolled his eyes. **_"Hai, as a matter of fact, I was,"_** he told her before turning to the female yeti.

"There," he said. "The delivery has been made as you requested."

"You gave pumpkin? Thank you, uh. I maybe remember. Could be in THAT room… I think," she said. "Go to room above circle on first floor."

"Oh, alright, thank you," Link said. He heard a set of bars move aside behind him.

"Sorry about delay… I want to help, uh…" the yeti said.

Link smiled. "I know," he said softly, "I know." He turned towards the now uncovered door, walked over and opened it. He could feel both Grimmjow and Midna joining him as he stepped out in the snow. He looked down on the map and then back up at a giant ice block. **_"We need to get past that,"_** he said and pointed towards the ice.

Midna floated forward. She didn't notice as the ice moved and two rows of red eyes turned to look at her. Luckily for her, however, someone else did. She was grabbed and pulled away as a freezing breath blowing over the ground where she'd stood. She looked up only to see blue-hair and a grim face.

**_"_****_Silly Midona,"_** Link said as he landed next to Grimmjow. **_"You should know better than to simply approach an unknown entity."_** He turned to the ice creature. **_"I do believe that this one is mine,"_** he said. He walked forward slowly. What he guessed was a giant freezard turned towards him and let out an ice cold breath. He smirked, held out a hand and parted the icy breath with it. He took a deep breath and focused. The glowing markings on his body turned from jade to fiery-orange. He moved forward quickly and an inferno broke loose around him. It melted not only the freezard but also the snow beneath his feet.

Grimmjow smiled as he felt the blonde's Reiatsu wash over him. He opened his mouth, revealing sharp teeth and breathed in. He knew that he'd have to mate with the teen before they ended up in Hueco Mundo. He was not willing to lose the blond even if that meant forcing him to comply in the end. He didn't want it to come to that though. He cared too much about the teen, and he hated rapists.

The fire around Link died down. He turned towards his companions. "Come on! Let's go," he said with fake enthusiasm. He pulled the door open and walked in. **_"That armour,"_** he said and pointed in front of him, **_"is animate."_** He placed a hand against the thick iron bars that lined either side of the aisle in the room. On the other side of the bars there were weapons and armour. "It's an armoury," Link said quietly. He turned to Grimmjow. "Why don't you stay here, and I go let this trap that's obviously here slam on me and then you can just make tin-confetti out off them," he said.

Grimmjow nodded. He didn't mind that idea at all. His eyes followed the blonde's swaying hips as Link walked over to the door on the opposite side of the aisle.

Grinch! Bars fell down hindering the blonde's advance.

Grimmjow moved away from the wall he'd been leaning against as the suit of armour closest to him started moving. It dropped its spear and pulled out a huge iron ball with spikes covering it. The armour turned towards the blond and sent the ball flying. It didn't reach, and the armour didn't get a second chance.

Grimmjow moved forward and rammed his sword straight into the beast before firing off a point-blank Bala at its head. The beast blackened before exploding in a cloud of black smoke. The bluenet looked up just in time to see Link pick something up from the floor. It was a long metal staff. "There is something really strange about this," he said. He shifted the staff around a few times before placing his hands about two feet apart. He let his fire element spread through the entire staff. He knew that if he did this with his sword, it would melt. The blade wasn't made to handle that amount of power or heat. The staff, however, started glowing. Twili markings and Hylian runes appeared slowly.

Midna gasped. **"Those are…"** she whispered.

Link touched the markings. **_"Old Hylian,"_** he said, **_"and…"_** he looked up at Midna, **_"is this Twili symbols?"_** he asked.

Midna nodded slowly. **_"Kage no Genzume_**_**[1]**_**_,"_** she said. **_"It's an old weapon… Old but powerful… Created by the sorcerers who tried to gain control over the sacred realm."_**

Link nodded. **_"This is far better than my sword,"_** he said. **_"I wonder how it ended up out here."_**

Midna nodded slowly. She too wondered how an ancient interloper weapon had ended up in these snow filled ruins. **_"Maybe whoever lived here before the yeti was a descendant of an interloper that wasn't caught,"_** she said.

Link looked up from the staff. **_"Mmm, or it was a collector of some sort," _**he said. He grabbed the sword at his side and removed it from his side. He pushed the blade into one of his pouches before stopping to study the staff. There was like a break in the symbols by the middle of the staff, and he tightened his hold, twisted the two parts in opposite directions and pulled.

Click! It broke apart. "Hmm," he said, "that still doesn't really help me with finding a…"

"THAT'S IT!"

Link turned around just in time to see Grimmjow come stomping out off the room containing the chest they'd been after.

The bluenet Sonído-ed and disappeared.

Link raised an eyebrow, wondering why the guy was so upset. He walked into the room and looked down into the chest. "Cheese," he said disbelievingly. Then he turned around. Grimmjow couldn't speak Hylian so he couldn't talk to the yeti. What was he planning on doing really? He walked back out off the room. **_"Come on Midona let's find Gurimujō," _**he said as he passed the imp. He moved over the snow-clad ground swiftly and pushed the staff down into a pouch. Something told him that it was too late for him to do anything by now though. He opened the door to the living room and sighed. There was blood everywhere. Grimmjow hadn't just killed the yeti, he'd torn her apart. Apparently not all creatures turned to smoke as they died here in Hyrule.

**_"_****_Oh, my,"_** Midna said as she floated through the open door. **_"He really got angry with them, didn't he?" _**she said.

Link nodded slowly. His reaction – or lack of a reaction – actually surprised him. The yeti had been innocent. She hadn't hurt anyone, and he'd even been helping her. But he felt nothing as he watched her bleeding form on the floor. In a way that scared him. Was he that sick? Didn't this matter to him at all? Would he always react like…? He didn't get to finish that before his stomach turned. He bent over and threw up. "Weak stomach?" He heard Grimmjow ask. He looked up. "Non," he shook his head, "mental pictures I soooo did not need." He looked over at the yeti's corpse again. "Did you have to do that?" he asked neutrally – like he was more concerned about the blood stains on the carpet than the fact that the bluenet had killed someone – as he pulled a water bottle of water out and rinsed his mouth out.

"The weak shits pissed me off," Grimmjow said. "Can we just go fetch that mirror now and be done with it?" He watched the blond as the teen came walking up to him. Somewhere far back in his head there was a small voice that was telling him that he might have lost the bitch forever because of what he'd done. He didn't actually want to listen to that voice, but as the blond stopped about a foot away from him and just stared at him, he was starting to feel doubt.

"If you didn't want to deal with them, you could have just told me so instead off killing them, you know," Link said. He moved forward, closing the distance between them and kissed the bluenet. Any doubts Grimmjow might have had disappeared. He wrapped his arms around the blond and held him close.

* * *

**_"_****_It looks like a blasted heart,"_** Grimmjow exclaimed.

Link couldn't help himself. He started laughing. The bluenet's expression was just too good.

Next to him Midna did her best to keep a straight face. She knew better than to laugh at the bluenet.

Eventually Lin stopped laughing and walked up to the locked door. He placed his hands on the lock and heated it up quickly. Then he switched, gathered the cold air around them and froze the lock. **_"It shouldn't be too hard to just smash it to pieces now,"_** he said. He stepped away as a red orb of energy was sent towards the lock, breaking it to pieces. He moved forward again, placed his hands on the door handles and pushed the door open.

…

It wasn't right. She shouldn't die like this. She was the Queen of ice, the ruler of the frozen world. She should be out there covering the world in thick gleaming beautiful ice. Her vessel was not quite what she had liked, but it would do … for now. She was not going to die here. She was not going to let them take the source of her power away from her.

…

Link, Midna and Grimmjow entered a big circular bedroom. A large red and gold carpet covered the floor. The room was sparsely decorated and had very little furniture for such a big room. There was a queen-sized bed with lavender covers pushed up against a wall and a big wooden dresser. Opposite the door hanging from thin strings was the mirror pieces.

"Something isn't right," Link said suddenly. Grimmjow turned to look at him. The air around them turned chilly and the windows high above them exploded.

"YOU WILL NOT TAKE MIRROR!" a distorted voice yelled in Hylian, and they all turned towards the mirror.

**_"_****_It's the yeti,"_** Midna said. She quickly got out of the way by disappearing down into Link's shadow.

The blond reached down into a pouch and pulled out his newly acquired staff. He looked over at Grimmjow as ice gathered around the possessed yeti's body. "I melt her, you kill her, deal?" he said.

Grimmjow nodded and unsheathed Pantera.

…

She would freeze these two idiotic humans, make them her own little ice sculptures. She was after all Blizzeta. She would win this.

The freezing marvellous cold surrounded her. She made the temperature drop even further, but the humans were still moving around. Layer after layer of thick gleaming ice formed around her fur covered body. She started rotating the big mass of ice surrounding her. She would squish them if they wouldn't freeze for her…

And then she felt it. Heat…. Blazing, hot, burning, fire. Fire was spreading from one of the humans. "NO!" she roared. This was her land… her domain. How dare he bring that blasted heat here? She was going to crush him.

Blinded by her rage she did not notice that the many layers of ice she'd erected to protect herself with were disappearing one by one. The closer she got to the fiery human the faster her ice disappeared until…

"Aaargh," she tore away from the sharp steel that had cut into her. She screamed at the humans angrily as she floated up in the air. She would show them. Ice prisms started taking shape in the clod air as a wind tore through the open windows, bringing snow with it. A new frozen shield started forming around her to protect her from their sharp steel. She floated up in the air as the shield around her solidified. She moved out over the fire breathing human and made the prisms fall. _'Gotcha,'_ she thought triumphantly as she landed with her prisms.

Crash! _'Yeessss,'_ she thought. _'I got you, you little…'_

Several prisms were torn apart by powerful energy.

Blizzeta roared. _'How dare you?'_ she thought. She tried to lift herself up from the ground and failed. "What the…?" A shape started forming in the ice next to her.

Green eyes opened and a smirk spread over frozen lips. "Good bye," the human whispered.

Blizzeta blinked. _'Does he really think that I can be defeated…'_ her thoughts were cut off as all her precious ice exploded at once. Her neck was grabbed roughly and a voice sounded before everything went black.

…

Link held his hands out accepting the silvery mirror piece as it gathered together from what was left of the yeti's body. Once the mirror had rebuilt itself thin stripes of black smoke could be seen throughout the room.

Drojalam!

Midna was smiling softly as she grabbed the mirror piece from Link. **_"Well,"_** she said, **_"we have two mirror shards now… That means that there are two more to go, Rinku."_**

The blond nodded. **_"We're halfway there then,"_** he said. He could feel Grimmjow's arms wrap around his waist. He leaned back into the others warmth slowly.

Midna smiled. **_"Yes, halfway there."_** She looked around the room. Broken furniture lay everywhere. The ice was gone now but the destruction was immense. She raised an eyebrow as she noticed that the bed seemed mostly intact. Link walked into her line of sight and up to the bed. He grabbed his belt buckle and pulled his belt off.

**_"_****_I suggest you get lost unless you have a death wish,"_** Grimmjow said quietly.

Midna blinked in surprise. She was about to give a snappy reply to that, but she realised that it might not be the best of ideas as she saw Link pull his tunic off. She turned towards the bluenet, knowing what he had planed. **_"And what if he doesn't want to?" _**she asked. She cared a lot for Link and did not want to see him hurt.

Grimmjow snorted. **_"Under the unlikely circumstances that he says no nothing would happen," _**he said. **_"I want him, but I want him to want it too."_**

Midna nodded. That was all the reassurance she needed. **_"I'll wait for you back in Zora's Domain,"_** she said before simply disappearing.

Grimmjow walked over to the half naked blond. He placed his hands on the smaller man's waist and bent down to kiss his shoulder. Link turned around slowly, placed a soft hand against his cheek and kissed him. He smirked into the kiss before grabbing the blond tightly and tossing him onto the bed. He climbed up on top of the lavender covers and moved up so he was hovering above the teen.

Link reached up, wrapped an arm around Grimmjow and pulled him down for another kiss. At first it was simply a gentle touch of lips against lips, but it soon deepened to a full out snogg session with dancing tongues and roaming hands. The blonde's fingers moved up over broad shoulders and pulled the bluenet's jacket off. He sat up slowly and pressed their bare chests together as he moved away from Grimmjow's hungry mouth and started kissing his way down the man's neck. His fingers pressed against the bluenet's muscled back as he left a clear pick mark on the man's throat. Suddenly he was pushed back roughly, and Grimmjow grabbed his wrists in a tight grip before descending on his chest, placing butterfly kisses at random.

"Aaaahh," Link moaned. _'Stop torturing me,' _he thought as he tried to loosen the bluenet's grip on his wrists. He could hear a soft chuckle spreading warm air over his left nipple moments before a wet tongue stroked over the sensitive bud. He whimpered.

Grimmjow hummed and moved his mouth back up to claim the blonde's parted rosy lips in another mind-blowing kiss. He let go off the blonde's hands and moved the hand down to fist the soft fabric of the cotton pants the blond was wearing. He moved away from the kiss and pulled the pants off in a quick motion that left Link bare.

The dazed blond gasped as cold air hit his lower body. His bright green eyes opened wide. He tilted his head and looked down at the bluenet. He took a deep breath before launching himself over to Grimmjow and pinning the larger man to the bed. He smiled lasciviously. "Mine!" he hissed possessively. He attacked the bluenet with curious hands and a lapping tongue. He could feel how the bluenet's arms wrapped around his waist before they rolled so he ended up beneath him once more.

"I want to mate with you," the bluenet said softly. He kissed swollen lips and smiled softly at the panting blond. "I want to make you mine…" his voice dripped with possessiveness. His fingertips brushed over the blonde's hard erection before settling against his hip.

Link moaned softly. His pupils dilated and his bit his bottom lip nervously. Then he sat up slowly. He wanted this. He reached out and grabbed the sash that kept the bluenet's hakama up. "You can very well fuck me if you wear this now, can you?" he said a bit shakily. He pulled the sash off. A faint blush spread over his cheeks as the white fabric of Grimmjow's hakama fell down on the bed. It wasn't the first time he saw the man naked, but this was the first time he paid this much attention to… certain things.

Grimmjow let the blond just sit there and study him for a moment before reaching out and grabbing him. He pulled the smaller man close. "Don't worry," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around the blond. His eyebrows furrowed for a moment. He knew that if he did this without preparing the teen he'd hurt him really badly. Hollows adapted but Link wasn't a Hollow… "Do you have any of that blob stuff with you?" he asked.

Link blinked. He was confused for a moment. Then his eyes widened as he realised just what the bluenet would need the stuff for. The blush on his cheeks deepened and he nodded. "Yeah, I think so," he said. He moved away from the bluenet's warmth and sat down on the edge of the bed to look through his pouches. A bottle filled with blue goo was found and passed over to Grimmjow.

The bluenet took the bottle with one hand and grabbed the blonde's wrist with the other. He pulled harshly so the smaller man landed sprawled out in front of him. He rubbed his fingers up over the arm that he'd pulled slowly as he moved in between the blonde's legs. He bent down and kissed the blond breathless. He pulled the cork out of the bottle with a plop! Dipping two fingers into the jelly like substance, he blinked in surprise as Link sat up and wrapped his arms around him. Not that it would be a bad position to do this in. Fingers trailed along the bone-mask on his cheek. He looked up at the nervous blond and smiled. "Relax," he whispered before he started trailing kisses along the blonde's neck.

Link whimpered as the bluenet's teeth graced against his skin. He leaned his head to the side to give Grimmjow more room. The bluenet's fingers were kneading as they travelled down his back. He hissed as a fingertip brushed against his opening.

"Relax," Grimmjow whispered again. He ran his tongue along the rim of the blonde's pointed ear in an attempt to calm the nervous teen. "Tu es si beau," he said softly. "Moaning for me." He pushed a finger into the blonde's tight entrance slowly.

Link gasped and his hold on the bluenet tightened. It felt weird.

Grimmjow hummed. His attention was split between littering the blond with kisses and the finger he had buried inside the teen. He moved the finger slowly mindful not to hurt the teen. Slowly he let his Reiatsu cover his fingers, and he pushed it into the teen with his finger.

"Aaaahh," Link moaned. He clenched around the invading digit before he caught himself. Tensing would just hurt him. He tried to calm down by turning his head and pressing his lips to Grimmjow's. A second finger joined the first. Link whimpered into the kiss. The bluenet had brushed up against his hard cock.

Grimmjow smiled as the blond let out a long choked moan. He had found the teen's prostate. He pulled his fingers back but the blond wouldn't have it. He tightened his grip and lowered himself down. Fingers moved gently in and out. Kisses were brushed against sweaty skin. The blond was panting lightly. He locked his gaze to Grimmjow's blue eyes. "More," he demanded.

"Demanding bitch," the bluenet said with a smirk. "Lay back." He watched as the blond moved back and lay down. He ran his free hand down a muscular thigh, feeling the blond shiver in pleasure beneath his palm. "Let go off your Reiatsu," he told the blond as he moved up to claim his lips. It took a little while but he could soon feel the blonde's power wash over him. He responded by letting go off his own power completely. He knew that the mixing of the power would help the blond relax.

"Fuck me, please Grimmjow," Link begged. He couldn't take this slow torture any more. He wanted more needed… "Fill me to the brim and claim me." He whimpered as Grimmjow removed his fingers. His hips were grabbed and lifted up. He wrapped his legs around the bluenet's waist tightly. Sure this was his first time but he was strung so tight now he didn't care anymore. He needed this. He clutched on to the bluenet's bicep and shoulder with his hands as Grimmjow leaned in for a kiss.

Their Reiatsu danced around them as they finally joined together. It was slow at first. They moved together. Fingers travelled and fisted in blue-hair.

Link wasn't about to keep it at that speed though. He didn't talk he didn't really need to as he pushed the bluenet to move faster. He moaned and whimpered his breathing sped up and he closed his eyes. It was all so much.

"Open your eyes," Grimmjow demanded. He grabbed one of the blonde's wandering hands and linked their finger together as he pushed it down next to the blonde's head. He licked along the flame marking on the blonde's cheek. It turned from jade to white as a wind tore through the tower.

They almost lost their sync as their movements became more erratic. They were reaching completion.

Link tilted his head to the side absentmindedly. He was barely aware of the teeth that dug into his shoulder. Moments before a hot liquid coiled into his body. His breath hitched and he choked out a moan as he came.

Somewhere in the back of his head pain register and then everything went black.

* * *

Link sat in the deep snow that covered the inside of the ruin they were still in. Grimmjow had been asleep when he woke up, and the pain that shot through him when he'd moved at first had him thanking his lucky star that he was a natural healer. The damage to his body must have been rather extensive considering that he'd still been feeling pain when he woke up. Of course, his magic had felt a bit strange – nothing like back when Zant had messed with it, but it was different somehow.

He placed the middle section of his snowman down on the lower body. "There we go almost finished," he said softly. There had been this weird hum just at the edge of his consciousness since he'd woken up as well. He really wondered why that was. "Hello Olaf," he said as he pushed one of the carrots he'd carried around in his food pack in place. He grabbed a hold of his elemental ability and closed his eyes. The markings on his skin shifted to celeste-blue. He released his magic and opened his eyes. The snowman just stood there. He sighed. "I guess I'm no Elsa," he said. "Sorry Olaf." He stood up with the intention to return to Grimmjow.

He'd only taken a few steps before he stopped again. He turned around and tilted his head. Olaf had moved. "Olaf?" he said questioningly. The snowman took an unsure step forward. _'You want this being to have life?'_ the voice sounded in his head. The blond froze. _'Who the hell are you?'_ he asked. His eyes closed and he felt himself settling into meditative stance automatically. _'I am Pantera,'_ the voice said.

By now Link had gotten to the centre of his Occlumency shields. He watched as grass spread out beneath his feet. In the north there was a snow-clad volcano, in the south a dark deep forest, in the west a beach with water that stretched for miles and in the east there was a desert. But where he was in the centre there was a big open plain. "Show yourself," he said. He could feel something or rather someone approaching him swiftly. Then there was a roar and he moved out off the way of a gigantic white armoured feline. "Grimmjow?" he asked confused. It didn't feel like the bluenet.

A warm laugh spread from the feline. "Oh, no I'm not Grimmjow young one at least not completely," the feline said. "I am Pantera."

Link raised an eyebrow. "His blade?" he said disbelievingly.

"Ah, yes I am his blade, his powers in a way. I am a part of him but not him," Pantera explained. "And now I am a part of you as well. A part of your powers and a link between you. He picked you as his mate and you mated with him; this gave me the chance to evolve. You will come to notice that you can in some ways use his powers from now on."

"And the same goes for Grimmjow I take it," Link said. "He will be able to use my powers to an extent as well."

Pantera nodded. "This is true," the feline said. "You will also come to find that you have a certain immunity to each others powers from now on. In order to hurt each other now you must truly want to hurt the other. Though if you should let say stab Grimmjow with a blade he would get hurt."

Link nodded. "Because the blade is not a part of my powers," he said. "So if Grimmjow stabbed me I would get hurt but if he sent a Cero my way it wouldn't hurt me?"

"No, your body would absorb the Reiryoku instead of getting hurt," Pantera said.

Link chuckled and shook his head. "That is good I guess," he said. "Does this always happen? Does the embodiment of the dominant's power always inhabit the submissive after a mating?" He sat down. He was getting the impression that they might be there for a while.

"No, not always," Pantera said. "Sometimes the spirit of the submissive is stronger and therefore is the one to remain in power, but two spirits can not coexist. There isn't enough Reiryoku around after a mating to allow that. You two burned through almost two thirds of your collective power when you mated."

"So only one spirit can stick around because so much Reiryoku is spent during the mating?" Link confirmed.

Pantera nodded. "But because I didn't need to fight during the mating I could gather the Reiryoku you two were spending and grow stronger. This in turn will make both you and Grimmjow stronger," the feline said.

Link had more questions but he figured that maybe he should wait with asking them. Some of those questions he was sure that Grimmjow would like the answer to as well so instead he asked, "So what does all this have to do with Olaf out there?"

Pantera laughed. "You want Olaf?... you called it to move around I can make that happen but it will not be permanent," the feline said.

"That's O.K." Link said. He tilted his head. "Can you access my memories?" he asked then.

"Not without your permission," Pantera said.

"Oh, well I guess that is sort of comforting in a way," Link said. "I want to show you where Olaf is from though." He stood up. "Will you come with me?"

The panther nodded slowly.

…

"I'll finally see a summer breeze, blow away a winter storm.

And find out what happens to solid water when it gets warm!

And I can't wait to see, what my buddies all think of me.

Just imagine how much cooler I'll be in summer.

Dah dah, da doo, uh bah bah bah bah bah boo

The hot and the cold are both so intense,

Put 'em together it just makes sense!

Rrr Raht da daht dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah doo

Winter's a good time to stay in and cuddle," Link sang as he wrapped his arm around a very confused Grimmjow. Behind him Pantera as Olaf was dancing around in the snow. "But put me in summer and I'll be a — happy snowman!

When life gets rough, I like to hold on to my dream,

Of relaxing in the summer sun, just lettin' off steam.

Oh the sky would be blue, and you guys will be there too

When I finally do what frozen things do in summer.[2]"

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't he be a puddle?" he asked as he pulled Link closer.

"Of course he would," Link said. "But you really think that he'd sing that about himself?"

The bluenet shook his head. "And I mated with you…" he sighed.

Olaf stopped right next to them and looked up. "You would have to work hard to find a mate as powerful as this one and you know it," Pantera said.

Grimmjow blinked. His brows furrowed. "Pantera?" he asked.

The snowman exploded. "Who else?" Pantera said before disappearing.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. He turned back to Link and smiled. "Mine," he whispered.

"Mmmmh," Link hummed. He grabbed the bluenet's shoulders and pulled himself up to kiss the man. "Midona is waiting for us," he said.

"She can wait a bit longer," Grimmjow said before he Sonido-ed them back to the tower on the third floor.

* * *

[1] Gengetsu – crescent moon … Kagizume – claw or talon

Kage no Genzume – Taloned crescent moon of shadow

[2] Owned by Disney from Frozen


	17. To the Past

**To the Past**

Link was giggling hysterically as he and Grimmjow walked by the blue-afro bird's little shop in Faron Woods. He stumbled on a tree root and strong warm hands grabbed a hold of his waist. He was pulled back against Grimmjow's bare muscular chest.

"Clumsy bitch," the bluenet said warmly. He bent down and gave the blond a quick kiss. "Your self-proclaimed papa is up ahead, glaring daggers at me," he told the blond once the teen had calmed down some.

"You mean Moï?" Link said. "Don't worry about him. He can try to convince me I should leave you all he wants," he turned to look up into cyan eyes, "we're mated now. There is nothing anyone can do to change that."

Grimmjow chuckled. The arm he'd wrapped around Link's waist earlier when the blond stumbled travelled down, and he squeezed the teen's ass. "Mine," he hissed in the blonde's ear.

Link rolled his eyes playfully and smiled softly. He sighed. "We better go see what he has to say," he said before turning towards Rusl.

They walked through some tall grass before the dirt beneath their feet turned to wood. Up a thick root onto a stump they went. Link wondered briefly who had cut the gigantic tree, that had stood there once, down. The stump had to be at least 10 feet straight across. The blond shook his head and looked up from the stump. Rusl had turned around as he and Grimmjow came closer. The man was standing with his back to the now. "It has been a while since we took a walk in the forest, huh?" he said.

"Yes, it has," Link responded in Hylian. "Things were simpler back then."

"They were," Rusl said. "Our world has changed…"

They fell silent for a moment, simply enjoying the view of the forest.

"It's serene," Grimmjow mumbled softly in Link's ear. He'd moved up so he was standing behind the blond with his arms around the teen's waist. His blue eyes scanned the area before them absentmindedly. He wasn't really looking for anything in particular.

Link nodded and his hair brushed against the bluenet's cheek. "This forest used to be protected from mankind by a terrible curse… so people tend to avoid it even today despite the fact that the curse is long gone," he said quietly. He looked over towards a more sinister part of the forest. "There is something wrong over there, though," he said. He could feel the bluenet nodding his head.

"Say…" the two were interrupted by Rusl, "Do you know about the far side of this deep gorge?" he asked.

Lin shook his head, "No."

"Some say there is an ancient temple deep in the woods that guards a sacred power. The ancestors of the Hylians created the temple… Signs of their civilisation – ancient but very sophisticated – are everywhere. If someone could obtain the power of those ancient people… Well, I am sure it would go a long way toward saving Hyrule."

_'__Or destroy it completely,'_ Link thought.

Rusl turned towards him for the first time since he and Grimmjow had walked up on the stump. "Link…" he said. "Would you take on this task? Would you cross the gorge and find the ancient power sleeping in the temple?"

The blond raised an eyebrow at the man's tone. He tilted his head back so it was resting against Grimmjow's shoulder before explaining to the bluenet what was going on.

"Sounds interesting enough," Grimmjow said. "Want me to go ahead and check it out?"

Link shrugged. "Have fun," he said before kissing the taller man on the cheek.

The bluenet smirked and disappeared.

"We'll go and check it out," Link told Rusl.

The man smiled. "I knew you would!" he said. "But do you have to bring that man along with you? He is dangerous, Link." His voice was pleading.

The blond sighed. "Yes, Rusl I'm going to travel with Grimmjow. I happen to love him," he said. A part of him wondered what the blond man was thinking under that visored helmet of his, but a much bigger part of him didn't care.

Rusl in turn was shocked. Link loved that man… it wasn't… no the poor boy had to be… didn't Ilia and he… In the end he decided to speak to his wife before breaching the subject again. Instead he said, "To cross the gorge, just use my partner here." He whistled and a golden cucco came flying. It landed on his arm. "Do you doubt my partner's skills?" he asked as he noticed Link's disbelieving expression. "He flies like a dream! Believe me!"

Link bit his lip and held back a snort, but he mustn't have been quick enough because Rusl said, "Well, you will definitely make it across the gorge. Wait and see, my doubting friend."

Link shook his head. "I'll be fine without her but thanks anyway," he said. Then he reached into a pouch. "And thank you for letting me borrow this," he said as he handed over the sword Rusl had made. "I don't need it any more."

Rusl tried to protest, but Link wouldn't listen. "Don't worry about me," he said. "I'll be fine." Then he disappeared, leaving nothing but warmth and a faint smell of burnt wood behind.

Rusl stood there for a while with his cucco walking around on the ground by his feet clucking. _'What just happened?' _he wondered. He shook his head. "I need a drink," he mumbled.

…

While Rusl was questioning his sanity, Link landed in front off a very dark cave opening … or possibly a tunnel entrance. It turned out to be a tunnel. Giant trees stretched towards the sky. The grass was dark and short. It was calm and yet there was a heaviness in the air that almost made it hard to breath. On either side of the tunnel exit a torch burned merrily. Just like in so many other places in Hyrule there were torches here that simply did not burn down or go out.

A bit further in under the massive leaf work Grimmjow stood by a strange looking stone. He looked up from the stone as the blond got closer. "The path is blocked," he said. "And there is something really wrong with this place."

Link had reached the bluenet now, and he stood up on his tiptoes to kiss the man gently on the cheek before he too looked down at the out of place stone. The three connected triangles of the Triforce were etched into the grey stone's surface. "That symbol placed like this used to mean that one had to play the melody of the royal family to pass," he said.

"And where are we supposed to find an instrument to play on and didn't the Hero of Time have some magical ocarina to play this stuff on?" Grimmjow huffed.

Link snorted. "You don't have enough faith in me dear mate of mine," he said. He reached up to his neck where the charmed magical guitar his Grandfathers had given him still resided. With everything that had been going recently he'd forgotten about the beautiful instrument. He removed the charm from its chain and activated the size charm on it. Soon enough he was standing there with a full size twelve stringed acoustic guitar. The front of its body was dark green with a tribal wolf in black while the rest of the guitar was simply black. He placed the shoulder strap that he could activate when he needed it over his shoulder before placing his left hand over the sound hole of the body and his right at its neck. It had been a while since he'd last played this particular melody, but he had a good memory and his fingers knew where to place themselves.

The tones of Zelda's Lullaby floated through the small woods.

In the distance a distorted laugh could be heard.

"Well that's something new," Grimmjow said as Link made the guitar turn back into a small charm.

The blond chuckled warmly.

PTUUDT!

They turned towards the sound.

A small wooden person was standing by one of the trees. It was holding a set of Deku pipes in one hand and lantern in the other. Its face reminded Link of the falling moon of Termina with its wide toothy grin and yellow on red eyes. It wore a pointy straw hat and a lush green leaf cloak.

"What the fuck is that?" Grimmjow asked as the small being disappeared only to reappear by a very strange looking wall. The wall shimmered and disappeared. The little wooden person ran in through the opening, giggling as it went.

"A skull kid," Link answered to the bluenet's question. "They are generally harmless but sometimes…"

Ptuudt!

Several long limbed wooden figures appeared. They moved over the ground in a way that reminded Grimmjow of marionettes his sister had owned. It was like someone else was controlling them with invisible strings. One of the puppets reached him and attempted to punch him with its frail wooden fist. He grabbed the hand, crushed it and then he punched the being's head to pieces. "I guess these aren't counted as harmless, huh," he said. He'd turned back to the blond, who had pretty much made the rest of the puppets explode, with a bored expression. "So now what?" he asked.

Link rolled his eyes. _'Like I have all the answers,'_ he thought. He made his way over to the opening that the skull kid had disappeared through. It led to an area with a split waterfall pouring down on either side of another opening. It filled a shallow pool with cool clear water slowly. "The Lost Woods," the blond mumbled. There were several paths in there that were blocked just like in the first area of the woods. He sighed. There was only on way that would actually lead them through the woods and it wouldn't surprise him if the skull kid was the only one who still knew it. He was glad that the imp carried a lantern with him. The fire would be rather easy to find in the forest. He concentrated, twisted and disappeared, leaving only a spark and some smoke behind. When he landed, he swiftly grabbed the skull kid's neck and pushed him up against the nearest tree. "We don't want to play this stupid little game with you kid. Let us pass through or I'll turn you to cinder, do you understand?" he said in Hylian.

Yellow eyes blinked in fear. The fire from his lantern had moved with the humans words and was now dancing around the blonde's head like a halo. He'd just wanted to have a bit of fun that was all. Why was the human so angry with him? And then he saw HIM. Another person moved up behind the blond, his blue eyes gleamed menacingly in the faint moonlight that dribbled down between the leaves of the trees around them. Now the little imp was scared. He really didn't want to die. In a desperate attempt to save himself he summoned more puppets.

They were dead within seconds of appearing.

"I suggest you don't do that again," the blond human said irritably.

He gulped. "Please don't hurt me," he whimpered.

The blond raised an eyebrow. "Then show us the way through the forest," he said. He let go of the imp and folded his arms over his chest.

The predator behind the human leaned forward and said something that the Skull Kid didn't understand. He did, however, understand the glare that was directed at him moments later. He swallowed thickly before saying, "Follow me," shakily. He disappeared, and a part of him hoped that they couldn't follow. He knew even before they landed next to him that it was a futile hope. He led them through the forest as fast as he could manage. He wanted desperately to get away from those two. "Here we are," he said. "It's through that opening." He pointed. His eyes followed the two human looking beings as they walked through the hole, and then he ran for dear life in hopes that they would not follow this time.

* * *

Grimmjow tilted his head. There was a distinct power in the sword before him. Link had told him that it was the blade of evil's bane, and he guessed he could sort of get that. But how did a sword know what evil was and what was evil? He knew one thing for certain though. The blade was useless to them especially now that Link had his staff.

Ruins were scattered amongst the trees. The forest had reclaimed this place a long time ago. Grimmjow turned back towards the still sleeping blond. He could feel the hum of his mate's emotions at the back of his head. The teen had to be dreaming. He could feel happiness and love clearly across their link, but there was an overlaying veil of sorrow, almost like the blond knew that he was dreaming. The bluenet sighed. No matter how much he wanted to let Link sleep, they had to get going, and he had no clue how to even get into the temple. He walked up to the sleeping blond, kneeled down and placed a warm hand on the teen's shoulder. A deep satisfied hum reached his ears as the blond pressed into the palm of his hand. "Il est temps de réveiller maintenant," he said as he shook the blond gently. "Venez dès à présent, se lever avec vous!"

A hand travelled up the bluenet's chest and grabbed a hold of his ripped jacket. The fingers tightened on the fabric before yanking Grimmjow down. Lips pressed against the bluenet's bone mask lazily, sending shivers down the man's spine. Arms reached up and wrapped around a strong neck as the lips travelled to lock over Grimmjow's in a slow kiss.

They broke apart eventually, and Grimmjow stood up, pulling the blond with him. "Bonjour," he whispered.

"Bonjour." Link smiled softly at the bluenet.

"You need to get us inside this stupid temple… do you have any clue how to manage that?" Grimmjow asked.

Link moved one of his arms from the bluenet's neck in order to cover a yawn that spread over his face. He nuzzled Grimmjow's neck before looking around the meadow. "The sword is probably the key somehow," he said. He could feel how the sword was connected to the area around them so it made sense that it would be the key. He moved away from his mate's comfortable warmth and walked up to the gleaming blade. Reaching out he placed his hand against the sword's pommel and opened his senses up. _'Please spirit of the Goddess's created blade open the path before us so that we may proceed on the quest were destined to complete,'_ he thought, sending the though outwards.

For a moment he feared that nothing would happen, but then a strange sound floated through the air as he felt a spike in the magic around them. He could also feel the pommel of the sword warm for a second. _'Thank you,'_ he thought before letting go off the sword. He walked back to Grimmjow, and they headed back towards a door they'd noticed as they entered the Sacred Grove.

…

Five Shadow Beasts and a jump later, they were standing outside of a dark-grey iron door with the Royal sacred wings etched onto it.

Link reached out and pulled the double doors open slowly.

Magic was thick in the air.

Before them lay an area that looked as if all colour had been drained from it.

"This," Grimmjow said as they entered, "is weird."

Link nodded. He looked around. They seemed to be standing inside a cathedral. The emblem of light adorned the railing to the staircase that took them down to a big golden Triforce on green background that was laid into the marble floor. It appeared that the lack of colours that they had reacted to earlier wouldn't follow them through the temple.

Their steps echoed loudly around them as they walked past two giant statues that guarded the Master Sword. Huge stained-glass windows flooded the room with multicoloured light.

Once again Link walked up to the pedestal that held the legendary sword and placed his hand on it. This time he asked it to reveal the temple's secrets to them because what they'd seen walking up there could not be possibly be the entire temple. It took a little while but soon enough a set of glowing blue stairs appeared in front of him. He turned around to smile at Grimmjow when a small winged creature caught his eye. It was Ooccoo, a strange being the blond had met on several occasions throughout his travels. He'd never really paid much attention to her, but he knew that she was looking for a way to get home. She ran straight past him, up the stairs, and straight through the stained-glass window up there.

"Something wrong?" Grimmjow asked as he stopped next to his mate.

Link looked up at him and shook his head. "No," he said. He reached out and grabbed one of the bluenet's hands. "Come on let's get this over with," he said.

…

Drojalam!

Link turned to his left. **_"Ohayō, Midona,"_** he greeted the imp. **_"Have you decided to join us on this fine trip in the past?"_**

The imp snorted. **_"Very funny Rinku,"_** she said sarcastically. She looked around the room, her eyes landing on the sealed door that stood before them. **_"I've been hanging around for a while,"_** she said, **_"and don't you think there is something odd about that statue? In the grove and in the temple entry, there were always matching ones on each side, but there's only one here…"_**

**_"_****_She has a point,"_** Grimmjow said as he came walking up to the blond.

They were standing on one of the wide steppes of a marble staircase with a set of sealed double doors in front of them and a big bell like structure behind them.

**_"_****_There is a door back there,"_** the bluenet pointed over his shoulder with his thumb, **_"above the entrance to this place," _**he said.

Link sighed. **_"I hate temples!"_** he exclaimed.

**_"_****_I could always just blast through this door for you if you'd prefer that,"_** Grimmjow said with a smirk.

The blond looked like he was seriously considering the offer for a moment before he shook his head. **_"We skipped most of the tomb back in the desert and therefore didn't get an item that would have made things way easier for us,"_** he said. **_"There is probably one of those blasted things around here too. We can blast things after we've found that."_**

Grimmjow grimaced. He could remember pretty clearly just how much energy it had taken for Link to spin those damn wheels in the desert. He had to agree with the blond. They should get the item if only to make things easier on his mate. He looked up looked up past the bell in the centre of the room, flickered, and disappeared. He was soon joined by Link and Midna, and they walked up a set of stairs to a locked door.

"Erm!" Not so fast!" a female voice echoed through the big room.

The trio turned around and looked down at a strange creature with a chicken's body and a human face but the head was pointed to the back. "Hello Ooccoo, how are things going?" Link asked in Hylian.

"At last…" Ooccoo said. "This is it! This is where I've been trying to get to! The ancient technology of our people sleeps in this place. We've searched all over… and now we're so close, I can SMELL it! Once we find that thing, we can go home at last! Oh, gracious, yes!" Ooccoo said triumphantly. She seemed to have completely forgotten that she had an audience until she stopped talking and looked over at them. "Erm," she said somewhat embarrassed, "young man! We're so close… so PLEASE help us find what we're looking for!"

"Oh! For heaven's sake," Grimmjow muttered. Midna had been translating for him while Link had been talking to the strange creature.

**_"_****_Don't worry, love,"_** Link said after agreeing to help Ooccoo out. **_"She's most likely looking for the same thing we are looking for so it won't be a detour."_**

Grimmjow snorted. **_"Whatever,"_** he said.

Link raised an eyebrow. He sauntered over to the bluenet with a small amused smile on his lips. He reached out and wrapped his arms around the taller man's neck before leaning in and kissing him. "Impossible man don't be so dour will you it makes me feel all depressed," he said as he nuzzled the man's cheek.

Grimmjow sighed in defeat. A small smile spread over his lips, and he wrapped his arms tightly around the blonde's waist.

**_"_****_Oh, please stop that before I puke. You're so cute it's sickening,"_** Midna said.

Grimmjow looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. He could see the smile playing on the imp's lips and rolled his eyes. **_"You'll survive I'm sure,"_** he said.

* * *

A set of electric charges were buzzing away menacingly. The light-blue beams reminded Link of Grimmjow's hair. The blond looked down at the map that he'd acquired in the previous room. The area they were in now was circular and had no door on the floor they were on except for the one they'd arrived through. He sighed and looked around. To his right stood a marble beamos, but it had yet to activate. To his left, Grimmjow was pulling his sword back out off a lizalfos.

**_"_****_Those things are disgusting,"_** Midna said suddenly, bringing the blonde's attention to her. She was pointing towards a group of scurrying … was that mitites or spiders? that were running around on the other side of the electric gate.

**_"_****_Hmm,"_** Link voiced his agreement already back at looking at the map in his hands. They had to travel up and to the west to go further. **_"Come on Midona let's get going,"_** he said.

The imp tore her eyes away from the disgusting insects that crawled around in the centre of the room. **_"Oh, Okay sure,"_** she said. She looked over at Grimmjow. **_"What about blue over there?"_** She pointed over to him. The bluenet was tearing into the lizalfos population in the room with vigour.

**_"_****_He seems to be having fun,"_** Link observed. **_"He can catch up with us when he's done."_** He held out his hand to Midna and flared them up to the next door. Ooccoo had buried herself in one of Link's pouches earlier so they didn't have to worry about her. _'Pantera,' _Link thought, trying to catch the panther spirit's attention. He walked up to the golden decorated door with the regular black-iron lock keeping it closed. He placed his hands against the lock and moved the small mechanisms inside of it around.

The lock fell to the floor with a clank.

Link placed his hands on the door and was attempting to contact Pantera again when the panther's voice rang through his head, _'Yes, Link.'_

_'__Could you tell Grimmjow that me and Midna are going on ahead?' _the blond asked.

_'__Of course, child,"_ Pantera answered.

_'__Thank you.'_ He could feel the feline leaving his conscious mind. He stepped through the open door after Midna and looked around.

A green crystal switch sat, on a pedestal in something that looked almost like an altar, to his right. Above the switch a bras torch was attached to the wall. It was burning merrily, but the light it cast was drenched out by the daylight that flooded from the big high windows in the room. There was another still beamos in front of Link and to his left past a golden fence hung another of the big gold bells. He glanced down at the map again before walking over to a strange golden circle that was mounted in a stone arch. He looked through it. The way to the next door seemed to be blocked by some sort of stone wall. He blinked as Midna flickered past him and hovered over to the stone wall. **_"Well, this is closed,"_** she called back.

Link turned and walked over to the green crystal switch he'd noticed earlier. He pulled his staff out and slammed it against the switch. **_"How about now, Midona?"_** he called.

**_"_****_Oh, it's open now,"_** Midna called back followed by a laugh.

Link rolled his eyes as he turned away from the now red switch. He put the staff away and climbed through the spiked golden circle, careful as to not get hurt by the spikes that lined the inside of the circle. There was another circle and then he joined up with Midna by a set of stairs.

The stairs turned left pretty quickly. A lizalfos came running down the stairs as soon as the blond turned the corner. He sidestepped its short curved blade, grabbed its arm, placed a foot on the axe attached to its tail as it came swinging at him and forced the blade back towards the two-legged lizard. He left the monster twisting slightly with its own blade in its gut.

Figuring that there might be more enemies up ahead, Link pulled his staff out. He kept climbing up the stairs until he reached the top where another lizalfos stood. This one wore a bone helmet that seemed to be made out off an animal skull. Though, Link had never seen any animal like it in Hyrule. The closest he got was the Ordon goats since they skull had horns but not even that fit. He guesses that whatever animal had provided the skull had died out before his time in Hyrule Of course none of the creatures that his Grandfathers had spoken about fit the remains either so it was a bit weird.

The lizalfos approached him just like the previous one had, and the blond shifted his staff around. The markings in his face turned blue and so did the markings covering the staff. Tiny sharp icicles shot out off the end of the staff and penetrated the lizard's body. The creature stumbled back, looked up at the human in front of it in surprise and fell back as its body turned to smoke.

**_"_****_There is another of those stupid stone walls here,"_** Midna called from her spot up ahead.

Link looked over to where the imp hovered. She must have past him while he was dealing with the lizalfos. He walked over to her, looked up and sighed. **_"Let's just go over the stupid thing,"_** he said and held a hand out for her to take.

Midna smirked as she grabbed the hand. They flared twice in rather fast succession. It let them avoid the stupid crystal switch she'd seen earlier all together.

They landed in front off another temple door. Link reached out and opened it, and they both entered the next room.

…

Grimmjow pulled Pantera out off the last of the stupid green-scaled lizards that had roamed around the fenced area filled with insects. He looked around the room and raised an eyebrow. _'Now where the hell is that bitch?'_ he wondered.

_'__He said to tell you that he'd be going on ahead,'_ Pantera's voice sounded through the bluenet's head. _'He seemed reluctant to pull you away from massacring those monsters.'_

Grimmjow snorted and rolled his eyes. _'Thanks Pantera,'_ he said. He went back to the door that had brought them in to the room and sniffed the air. His head snapped up and he Sonído-ed, landing on a high railing. He followed the blonde's scent into the next room. He chuckled softly when he realised that Link had ignored the finer mechanisms of the room and just gone on ahead. His steps echoed as he walked up the short wide set of stairs that followed. An eyebrow rose as he passed a lizard that was bleeding out all over the floor. _'Sloppy bitch,'_ he thought, turned slightly and sent of a Bala at the green-scaled creature.

The bluenet was about to follow in his mate's footsteps with a Sonído once more when he noticed an armoured lizard with brown scales. Thinking that it might be interesting to fight the bigger lizard, he stopped and landed on the ground next to the monster. He pulled his sword and cut the head of a green-scaled lizard. Its body exploded behind him as he turned to face the armoured one. _'Now this will be fun,' _he thought.

Clank!

Slash. Grimmjow had caught the lizards axe with his sword before striking back.

Swish

Slash

Clank

Grimmjow was smirking as he moved out of the monster's way once more. Suddenly he moved forward, grabbed the lizard's arm with his free hand and cut its jugular open with his sword. He scoffed at the dying monster before simply moving up on top of the next stone wall. He could hear breathing behind him so he turned slightly. There was another of the armoured lizards down there. _'The idiot didn't even try to help his friends?'_ Grimmjow was actually a bit baffled. _'Moron.'_ Not feeling like fighting another lizard, however, he simply decided to see if a Cero would kill it. If it didn't they could always deal with the monster on they way back down. He charged the Cero and sent it off. He didn't even bother to check if the energy ball actually killed the monster or not. He landed in front of another of those stupid doors that you had to lift in order to get through. Muttering about annoying architects, he pulled the door open and stepped through.

Inside the next room there were as far as he could see two of those strange four legged spiders walking around on the tiled floor. He and Link had met them earlier in the temple as well. They were small with a single eye, pincers and four long hairy legs. They walked back and forth amongst the even smaller pasty white and pink insects. Grimmjow didn't really know what they were.

Pillars lined a path up to another big bell, but none of that really mattered to the bluenet as Link's scent crossed the room, heading right. It led him up to another door. As he walked up to it, he glimpsed another big golden bell out of the corner of his eye. He was really starting to wonder was those blasted bells were for.

The next room he entered looked like a bomb had exploded in it. There were pieces of marble and chunks of the same kind of little spiny thingies that he's seen both earlier in the temple and back in desert laying everywhere.

Grimmjow snorted. Link had really not liked this place for him to create destruction of this magnitude. The path continued to be littered with debris as he turned left and walked up a set of stairs.

A blue-electric gate was buzzing away. Grimmjow looked raised an eyebrow at it before looking around. On the floor by his feet there was a pressure plate. _'Why the hell did they place the button that turns the blasted electricity off right next to the gate it will open?'_ he wondered as he placed a foot on the switch and applied some weight.

The electricity disappeared, and Grimmjow stepped off the pressure plate.

Kkkkrrrtchtchtchtckkrrrtch!

The electricity was back.

The bluenet rolled his eyes. At least that explained why they had placed the plate right in front of the gate. It wouldn't stop him though. He placed weight back on the switch, waited until the electricity disappeared and Sonído-ed past the gate.

Link's scent was getting much stronger. It couldn't be all that far left now. Grimmjow walked up another set of stairs, wondering briefly just how high up they were. He stopped by a small edge. The room before him was empty. He dropped down from the edge, but barely managed to take a single step over the floor before he had his arms full of a happy blond. "Missed me, huh?" he asked, smirking slightly.

Link, who had buried his face in the bluenet's chest, simply hummed in response. He wrapped his arms tightly around the bluenet's waist, never wanting to let go.

They stood there holding on to each other for what seemed like hours before Midna had enough. **_"O.K. I got it. You want to shag but can you please do that after we've dealt with this temple?"_** she said loudly.

Grimmjow looked up at her and chuckled. **_"Getting impatient, are we?"_** he asked.

**_"_****_Hrmph,"_** Midna floated up to Link. **_"Whatever,"_** she said before disappearing down into the blonde's shadow.

"We seem to be getting on her nerves. Did you notice?" Link said his voice filled with humour. "But I guess she's sort of right. We should get going."

* * *

Link grabbed the lid of a blue and gold chest and pulled it open. He reached down into it and withdrew a two-and-a-half-foot long rod. It was brimming with power. He grabbed it by its almost gleaming white handle and focused. A softly pulsing green orb appeared between the tree light-blue wings at the top of the rod.

"At least the stupid statue is up here," Grimmjow said and Link looked up. But it's not like we can just move it. So what do we do now?"

Link tilted his head. He looked up at the statue, and then down at the pulsing orb by the wings of the rod in his hand. Figuring that temple items normally helped you through the temple you obtain them in, he raised the rod and fired the little orb off towards the statue.

The orb settled in the hole located in the statues chest and a bright green light spread in intricate lines over its body.

Link took a few tentative steps back and saw how the statue moved with him. "I guess that is how they meant we should move this guy," he said with a smirk dancing on his lips.

The bluenet rolled his eyes. His gaze travelled over the room as the statue next to him dropped down from the ledge it had been standing on. "The bell or whatever in here is glowing green," he pointed out. He saw Link turning around to take a look and Sonído-ed down to the blonde's side.

"Well that's interesting, I guess," Link said. He walked up to the bell with the statue hopping behind him. He made the statue hop in under the bell and watch as the bell was lowered down. It covered the statue for a moment. When the bell lifted again a few seconds later the statue was gone.

Link looked down at the rod. "While this is useful I really don't see why we should drag that statue through the entire temple when we can just destroy the locked door and proceed," he told Grimmjow.

The bluenet raised an eyebrow. "So we just leave him and go back down then?" he asked.

Link nodded, "Yeah, why not?"

…

It didn't take them long to get back downstairs.

Once back in front off the sealed door, Grimmjow raised his hand. "You think a normal Cero will do it?" he asked Link.

The blond tilted his head to the side and considered it for a moment. "You know what, let's try combining a Cero with some earth magic and see what happens," he said. "We need to learn how to do that anyway."

Grimmjow chuckled. "Sure," he said, "come here then." He was offered a bright smile as Link walked up to him. When the blond was within arms reach he snatched one of the teen's hands and pulled him up against his chest. "This is much better anyway," he said before nuzzling Link's hair affectionately.

The blond laughed. "You big kitten," he said contently before turning in the bluenet's grasp. He reached down and closed his hand around the taller man's wrist. He took a deep breath as he felt power building beneath his fingertips. Focusing on his own magic, he sent it down along the stream of power that Grimmjow was gathering in the palm of his hand.

The bluenet raised their arms slowly and they could see how the once blue Cero was turning a dark-green. He tightened his hold on his mate's waist before shifting slightly and letting the big orb of power go. It tore through the stone of the door and continued through the room behind it – through the next door and down a corridor.

"Holy shit," Grimmjow said.

"Ehhh," Link bit his lip. "… I guess that worked pretty…" he fell silent.

"Yeah, it did," Grimmjow said. "I wonder what would have happened if I'd used a Gran Rey Cero?"

Link snorted. "We would have blown out this entire part of the temple, I bet," he said. He tilted his head back and looked up at his lover. "Let's go make mush out of the boss please," he said childishly, his eyes huge and pleading.

"Brat," Grimmjow said affectionately. He shifted slightly before they both moved in a Sonído.

"This place really looks like shit," Link pointed out when they landed. There were chunks of grey stone, pieces of marble and twisted metal scattered throughout the corridor. "I guess we'll just use the hole the Cero created and not care about the boss door, huh?" he asked. "Imagine that, we don't need a key to get to the boss. No we can simply blast out way through the wall to get in."

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. His grip on Link tightened once more as he preformed another Sonído.

The room they entered would have been pitch-black if it wasn't for four beams of sunlight that streamed down form holes in the ceiling. By every column of light there was a huge statue made out of dark grey stone. They all had the holes in their chest that indicated that one could use the temples rod on them.

Link and Grimmjow walked further into the room, searching for whatever monster inhabited the place.

Then one of the lights went out, and Link looked up. "Oh, great," he said sarcastically. "It's a big-ass spider."

Grimmjow had walked up in front of the blond turned around and followed his lover's green gaze. He groaned. Like fucking Nnoitra wasn't bad enough. He drew Pantera and looked back down, meeting Link's eyes.

The spider started scurrying around in the ceiling above their heads.

"Now what?" Grimmjow asked. "We can't bloody well fight it if it's gonna climb around up there."

Link's brows furrowed. _'Spider… spider… how do we…?'_ He blinked, and then he moved forward, pushing Grimmjow out off the way of a laser beam. "Let's start with not getting hit shall we," he said.

The spider stopped firing and started moving around once more.

"It's the eye," Link whispered.

"Hmmm?"

"It's the eye," he said a bit louder this time, "you shoot it in the eye to paralyze it." He reached down into one of his pouches and pulled out his bow and quiver. Handing the quiver over to Grimmjow, he pulled out an arrow and placed it on his bowstring. The bluenet moved up behind him as he lifted the bow and fastened the quiver to his baldric.

"So what do we do after paralyzing the insect," Grimmjow asked.

Link, who had his bow at the ready and aimed at the spider, looked over at him. "I don't know," he said. "Hit it with a Bala to its underside or something." He was starting to regret that they'd used up so much power to get into the boss room now. Defeating the spider would have been much easier if they were at full power.

The spider stopped. Its eyelid opened and its gaze searched through the room for the measly intruders.

Tchick.

The spider shrieked as it fell to the floor with a thump.

Grimmjow Sonído-ed to just above the eight-legged creature and sent off a series of Balas at its underside before moving back to Link as the monster started twitching again.

The blond placed another arrow on the bowstring and waited. "Shit," he muttered as the spider started sprouting out eggs. He lowered the bow and moved over to the eggs, raising a circle of fire around himself as he did so. "O.K. not a good idea," he gasped, trying to catch his breath. The room around him lit up as the spider shot out another laser beam. Link felt arms wrap around his waist and then a Sonído moving him away from the line of fire. "Thanks," he whispered.

Grimmjow snorted. "Like I'd let some stupid arachnid kill my mate," he said. "Come on bow at the ready."

Link nodded. He placed his arrow back on the string, turned to face the spider and waited.

Tchick

Thump!

Grimmjow moved forward again. He'd started charging a Cero as he waited, and now he fired it off at the grey shell-like body of the boss. He moved back to Link. "I'll deal with the small creeps this time, yes!" he said with determination.

The blond rolled his eyes fondly. "Sure, have fun," he said.

"Oh, I'll have loads of fun," Grimmjow said sarcastically before disappearing.

Link chuckled softly as he grabbed another arrow from his quiver. He followed the armoured spider's body with his eyes. Its legs were covered in markings just like the ones that had covered the statues inside the temple. "It's a shell," he whispered. The stone legs and body was just armour. He pulled the string back slowly. His eyes fell on one of the giant statues, and it clicked for him. _'What do you do to kill the giant spider when you don't have a sexy blue-haired beast with you?'_ he thought. _'You use the weird rod to smash the spider with a big stone fist.'_ He moved his bow back up.

The spider stopped and opened its big yellow eye up. Its gaze flickered over the floor.

Tchick

"Fuck!"

"Watch out Grimm!" Link called to the bluenet. He saw how the laser beam hit the ground just in front of Grimmjow's feet at the same time as the bluenet Sonído-ed away. As the spider's attention stayed on Grimmjow, Link grabbed another arrow, lined it up, took a deep breath to steady his nerves and fired.

Tchick

"My turn," he said as he flared up next to the statue in front of him.

Thump! The spider fell down behind him. He pulled the rod out off a pouch and sent the green orb at the statue. He turned towards the spider and slashed downwards with the rod – the statue mimicking his move with its fist.

Crunch!

Crack!

The stone armour shattered and started falling to the floor.

Link felt a warm hand settle on his shoulder. "Well, I guess that worked pretty well," Grimmjow said.

"Hmm," Link hummed in agreement as the shattered armour turned to dust revealing that the eyeball was still intact.

"Wait a…" Grimmjow said. His expression turned into one of disgust as he realised what was going on. "Oh, for… just die will you," he said, raised his hand and charged up a blue energy ball. "Cero."

They watched as the eyeball-spider and its spiderlings were engulfed by a dome of blue light. Small tendrils of dark smoke rose from the ground and another piece of mirror was formed.

Link walked forward as the dome faded. He reached out and caught the shard as it descended down into his grasp.

Drojalam!

**_"_****_Now isn't that nice,"_** Midna said. **_"We've got another mirror shard. There's only one more left now."_** She reached out for the piece with her fiery yellow hair.

Link smiled at her as he handed the shard over. **_"Only one more to go before you can go home, huh?"_** he said.

Midna nodded. "Eh, Link …" she said.

The blonde's face turned serious. **_"Hai, Midona," _**he answered. She knew he didn't like excluding Grimmjow from any conversation so why was she speaking Hylian?

"You know, the power this mirror holds… it's really dangerous…" she said. "We might be putting something together that we'll have to destroy later…" she trailed off.

_"__I know that Midna,"_ Link said, using Hylian this time.

The imp looked up at the blond surprise shining in her eyes.

"We have to destroy the mirror later for the safely of both Hyrule and the Twilight Realm. We can't leave a rift open between worlds it's too dangerous," Link said.

Midna nodded slowly. "Okay," she said, hoping that Link knew what he was talking about.


	18. Picking up the Pieces

**Picking up the Pieces**

Steps echoed through empty white halls. It was the only thing breaking through the still, clam atmosphere. The steps belonged to two men. They were leaving the temple. Tired, sore and hungry, the only thing on their minds was getting the hell out of there.

They reached the iron door with wings etched onto it that would lead them back to their own time. It wouldn't surprise either of them if the destruction they had brought upon the temple that day would be a part of what one day would cause it to fall into ruins and disappear amongst the trees of the Lost Woods.

The shorter of the two reached out and placed his hands on the door. He pushed it open and walked through it, his mate following behind him. The world around them flickered and changed. The white marble walls turned to green trees and moss covered grey brick walls. They'd barely made it back outside or gotten used to the light, or lack thereof, of dusk when a voice pulled their attention to it.

"Well done, adventurer!"

It was Ooccoo the Oocca.

How she'd ended up there on the moss clad ground was a mystery. Last thing either of the men knew she'd been sleeping in one of Link's pouches, but now there she was on the ground in front of them. The blond was pretty certain he hadn't noticed her leaving.

"Ooccoo sees what she was looking for," the Oocca continued.

"You do?" Link asked confused. He really wasn't up for this kind of thing right now. He'd barely remember to speak Hylian.

"Goodness, yes!" Ooccoo said. "It's the Dominion Rod you found in the temple!"

"This you mean?" Link said and pulled the weird rod out off a pouch. It was strangely reddish now and the magic he'd felt rushing through it was down to a dull throb.

"Ah, yes but that thing has been around for quite some time," Ooccoo said. "I can see from here that its magic has been exhausted. Ooh, what am I to… I thought at last I could return to the sky…" The strange bird-like creature seemed really down about it. "And I have completely forgotten the spell that would once again bestow it with magic…" she sighed.

Link closed his eyes. He really was tired. It felt like his brain had stopped working completely. Rubbing his eyes with one hand, he reached out for Grimmjow with his other as a yawn spread over his face.

"It just can't be helped," Ooccoo said dejectedly. "I suppose I'll just have to look for the statues that respond to the rod." Then she perked up and said, "It's decided! That's what we'll do! That's what we'll do, indeed! Well Ooccoo is on her way!" with determination. She looked up at Link. "See you again!" she said before scurrying off.

"Hey!" Midna called. "Wait! What did you do to the rod?" But it was too late Ooccoo was gone. **_"… She's gone,"_** Midna sighed as she turned and moved up to Link and Grimmjow.

The blond looked at her. He could see that she wanted to talk to him about what had just happened. **_"Not now Midona, please. I just want to sleep,"_** he said to stop her before she got started.

The imp blinked surprised at first, but then she smiled softly as she noticed how tired the teen was. **_"Oh, I see,"_** she said. **_"We can talk tomorrow."_**

**_"_****_Arigatou, Midona,"_** Link said. **_"Oyasuminasai."_**

**_"_****_Oyasuminasai."_**

* * *

A soft humming was filling the air. Link was happy. He and Grimmjow had found a stream earlier that morning. Now he was sitting in the stream, leaning back against Grimmjow's broad chest. The older man was purring softly. His arms were wrapped around the blonde's waist and his head was resting against soft blond locks.

Calm

Content

They would have to leave soon enough. They still had to find a way to get to the sky – however that now was supposed to work.

.

.

Eventually they got out off the flowing water. They moved slowly, not really all that interested in leaving the calm of the small glade they'd found.

"So are we going back to the bar now or what?" Grimmjow asked as he fastened the sash that kept his hakama up.

Link sighed. "Yeah, I guess they are our best bet at finding out what to do next right now," he said. He grabbed his wet hair and twisted it in an attempt to squeeze excessive water out off it. He didn't bother with putting it up though. He just didn't feel like it.

"You know what," Grimmjow said. "I could probably make a Garganta that will take us back to that bloody town."

"Yeah," Link said with a smile, "that would be sweet."

Grimmjow smirked and then his expression turned dour. "I haven't really felt up to it before what with the…" he grimaced.

He didn't need to finish though. Link knew what he was talking about. "I get it," he said softly.

"I should be able to do it now though," Grimmjow said.

Link smiled as he pulled his tunic on. He grabbed his belt and fastened it before adding the baldric to his apparel. He walked over to the bluenet and wrapped his arms around the man's waist. "To Castle Town then," he said, giving the bluenet a kiss on the cheek.

Grimmjow nodded. "To Castle Town." He lifted a hand up and his expression turned into one of concentration. Slowly it was like the very weave of the world was being ripped apart, leaving only gapping darkness in its wake.

Link shifted away from the bluenet and took his hand, and the two of them started walking through the darkness. The path beneath their feet was shining brightly. Their steps made no sound. It was like they were walking through a vacuum – apart from the whole dying without oxygen bit.

Somewhere half way through or so Link realised that Grimmjow was building the path they were walking on with his own power – or Reiryoku most likely. "You should have told me," he mumbled softly before concentrating and sending his own power through to the bluenet, giving the man access to that as well.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. It wasn't like he really needed Link's help to do this.

The change between the dark Garganta and the sunbathed Hyrule Field was shocking. It took their eyes several moments to get used to the change in light. But once they could see again, it was obvious that the Garganta had worked. Castle Town was standing before them. The castle itself was still surrounded by the strange orange dome that was keeping them out.

Slowly they made their way over to the bustling town with its inhabitants that Grimmjow despised.

…

**_"_****_I suppose it's kinda' just a useless rod now,"_** Midna said. They'd been talking and somehow ended up on the topic of what Ooccoo had said the day before. **_"It's really just more baggage, but…"_** She looked up at Link, **_"what are you going to do? I mean she did talk about returning to the sky which so just happens to be where we need to go."_**

**_"_****_Nothing is fucking straight forward in this damn world,"_** Grimmjow growled. **_"We've been running around all over the place because some prissy little idiot decided to blow up the portal between here and Hueco Mundo while sneaking through it himself so we can't fucking touch him. And some other asshole has placed a barrier around the Princess's castle and we aren't powerful enough to break through that shit. It's just so fucking…."_**

Link smiled softly as he watched Grimmjow get rid off some off his pent up anger. **_"I promise that once we've kicked Ganondorofu's ass we can live in Hueco Mundo so you don't have to deal with this place anymore, O.K."_** he said.

Grimmjow took a deep breath before letting it back out slowly. "I'd appreciate that," he said in French.

**_"_****_Anyway,"_** Midna said bringing the men's attention back to her. **_"I guess that if we can restore magic to the Dominion Rod, well then maybe it'll come in handy!"_**

Link nodded. **_"Probably,"_** he agreed with her.

**_"_****_Either way we're going to Kakariko Mura now, right?"_** the imp enquired.

**_"_****_Hai, Renādo has information about Iria that he wants to share with me, and the next member of the resistance is there as well,"_** Link said.

**_"_****_I thought you didn't care about Iria,"_** Midna said. The blond had never outright said that he disliked the girl, but it had been implied on several occasions.

**_"_****_I don't,"_** Link said. **_"She's clingy and bossy and annoying, but right now we need all the help we can get to get to the sky so I will talk to Renādo."_**

**_"_****_As long as that girl keeps her damn hands off I guess it's O.K."_** Grimmjow said possessively.

Link snorted amused. He looked out over the grass filled Hyrule field. **_"This is going to take us forever if we don't pick up our pace,"_** he said. Heat gathered around his body, and then he was gone.

Grimmjow didn't bother following though. He knew that the blond was going to talk Hylian with the people they we going to see. He wasn't all that interested in listening to more bird's twitter. Link would let him know the important stuff anyway. He looked over at the imp who had stayed with him for some unknown reason rather then gone off with Link.

**_"_****_Do you really think that Rinku will want to live in our world once this is all over?"_** Midna asked after a while.

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow. **_"Of course he will,"_** he said. **_"Rinku barely has any patience for the crap all these humans are spouting and his powers are growing. He'll want the challenge. Things got a bit off kilter when we mated and that hasn't settled yet…"_** he shrugged. **_"But he's definitely coming. Besides he's my mate and mates stick together."_**

Midna smiled. She really liked the idea of Link living so they could keep in contact. **_"It just sounds so unbelievable… He's supposed to be the Hero Chosen by the Goddesses to protect Hyrule so why would he even be interested in being with us dark beings,"_** she said.

**_"_****_Rinku is dark himself,"_** Grimmjow said. **_"He's been chosen as the Hero because he's related to the original Hero that's all… Besides why would the Goddesses care if about our affinity anyway."_**

Midna nodded slowly and the two of them fell into a comfortable silence as the moved over Hyrule field.

Grimmjow's thoughts turned to Las Noches and the other Espada. He knew that killing all of them wasn't an option. They simply were not strong enough to do that, but he also knew that some of them would have to die. They were either to closely linked to Aizen, or they simply couldn't be trusted. The Primera and the Tres were O.K. He hoped that they would join him. The Cuatro maybe – even though the stoic shit pissed him off something awful – Quinto he'd have to see when they got there. The man was a loose cannon. The Octava creeped anyone out but wasn't all that powerful really so he'd see. Link would most likely have opinions about who to take out as well.

**_"_****_Jeez! Gurimujō are you daydreaming or what?"_**

The bluenet looked up and blinked. Link was standing before him, blond hair swaying in the slight breeze that rolled over the grass. His green eyes were full of mirth. **_"Do I need to be worried about the poor weak humans living over there or…?" _**Grimmjow said as he reached out and stroked a strand of hair out off his mate's face.

Link rolled his eyes. **_"No you don't… yet at least. Not that you would actually care about them if I did kill them,"_** he said. **_"Īe, Renādo wanted me to deliver a letter to Teruma so that's what I'm up too. I have a feeling that there is going to be a lot off running back and forth now. You might want to just set up camp in Kakariko for a while."_**

Grimmjow grimaced. **_"Yeah, you're probably right," _**he said.

Link smiled softly. He kissed Grimmjow on the cheek before disappearing with a, **_"See you later."_**

The bluenet sighed and started walking once more. Why couldn't things be less pointless around this place?

* * *

Link walked up a cobblestone street. He was heading towards the Doctor's house. He'd delivered Renado's letter to Telma, and the busty woman had sent him over to the doctor's place. Apparently the old man had been the first person in Hyrule Castle Town who had been in contact with Ilia. He placed his hand on the wooden doorknob fastened to the door that would lead him into the Doctor's house. "Excuse me, is anyone here?" he called out as he stepped into the house.

"Eh? What's that?" the white haired doctor said as he came walking from behind a tattered cloth screen hanging in the room. He blinked owlishly behind his thick round glasses as he took in the young man's appearance. "Just as I wondered who it might be, I see it's the admirable young lad who was willing to help the Zora boy for nary a single Rupee…" he said croakingly. "Just what do you want, lad? A physical? You've some money, don't you? … By the way that girl Ilia didn't mention anything about me, did she?"

"No she didn't but I am here because of Ilia," Link said. "When you found her did she have anything with her or was she mentioning anything that might let me know where she was before she ended up here?"

"Now really lad if you aren't here for an examination then I must ask you to…"

Link had moved forward and grabbed the scrawny old man by the throat. "Just answer my fucking question you money sucking little coward. You brought Ilia up now tell me what you know," he hissed. The markings under his left eye had started glowing together with his eyes and his hair was floating around his head. He disliked this man a lot.

"I don't have it anymore," the little man said fearfully.

"Have what?" Link asked between clenched teeth.

"The wooden carving that the young lady had with her. I spilled medicine over it and when I put it out to dry someone stole it… please don't hurt me," he begged.

Link sneered and dropped the man back down on the floor. "Pathetic," he hissed. He turned around, grabbed the door handle and walked outside before his temper got the better off him, and he decided to make confetti out off the little idiot on the floor. Green eyes closed and the teen took a deep breath. There was a statue out there somewhere that he needed to find…Great! At least the Doctor – not that the man had any right to call himself that – had told him that the statue was covered in foul smelling medicine. He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair and accessed his wolf senses. He pulled in a deep breath and immediately wished he hadn't. If the Doctor's place had smelled bad with his regular senses, the stench out there now was unbearable. His nostrils burned it was so bad. He couldn't help but gag before he pulled himself back together.

The blond couldn't say he was all that surprised when the scent led him back to Telma's bar. The woman's big fluffy white cat Louise was sitting outside of the bar. 'Louise,' Link said as a way off greeting the small feline.

'You're looking for the wooden statue that Ilia had, aren't you dear?' the cat asked.

'Yes I am,' the blond answered.

'Think it's a coincidence that I happen to know it got stolen from the Doctor's place? No…'

Link rolled his eyes. 'So, do you have it?' he asked.

'Oh, I'll admit… I took it. But then I was attacked by some sort of skeletal dog beast who took it from me so no I don't have it. I don't know why those beasts were after her statue… I thought it likely that she was in a dangerous spot, though.'

'Do you have any idea where I can find those beasts?' Link asked her.

'Yes why of course dear,' Louise said. 'Those fiends lurk just outside the southern gate… Unfortunately they only come out at night, though.'

Link sighed. 'Thank you, Louise,' he said as he turned to walk away.

'…And another thing…' Louise said and the blond turned back to face her. 'They always move around as a pack. You won't get that statue back unless you give them all a thrashing… That statue sounds like a key to getting Ilia's memories back… You must get it back!'

'Sure, sure I'll do that,' Link said dismissively. He walked back up on the southern main street and walked from stall to stall, buying stuff as he went. It was just after midday so it would be quite some time before he could confront the skeleton dogs and get a hold of the statue. Since he didn't have anything to do and didn't want to be alone, he headed back to Kakariko Village.

Finding Grimmjow wasn't too hard. The man had settled down as far away from the humans as he could get and still have a good lookout point. The blond pretty much collapsed onto his mate's chest and buried his face in the crook of the bluenet's neck. He breathed in deeply in an attempt to rid his nose from the hideous stench that still filled his nostrils.

"Managed to find anything?" Grimmjow asked as his hands travelled up the blonde's back. One settled on the blonde's back and the other moved up into the teen's soft locks.

"Non," Link shook his head carefully. His green eyes closed as the bluenet's fingers started massaging his scalp. "I have to go back after nightfall and deal with a pack off undead dogs that have something Iria had with her," he explained.

"Nap time then."

"Hmmm." Link was already falling asleep.

…

A panther and a wolf were lying in the soft green grass that spread out over the small field south of Castle Town. It was nearing nightfall. By a hill nearby a flock of guays were circling. Their crows were the only thing that cut through the otherwise quiet evening.

Grimmjow had decided to accompany Link when the blond left to deal with the skeletal dogs. Not because he thought Link needed his help, but rather because he was restless. They only needed to get through one more temple and collect the last mirror piece before they could travel to Hueco Mundo. Knowing now what he did about time between worlds, he wondered just how much time had passed since they'd thrown him out to die in the white sands.

'Stop thinking about it love,' Link said suddenly. He pressed his nose to the feline's cheek and rubbed it soothingly.

Grimmjow shrugged and retracted his long sharp claws from where they'd been making long gashes in the dirt the grass grew on.

'We'll deal with those assholes when we get there save your anger for that. The poor grass hasn't done you anything so leave it…' his golden-brown ears shifted as a strange sound reached them. He turned his head towards the sound as he stood up, feeling the panther beside him doing the same.

All around them big doglike skeletons were digging their way out off the ground. Most of their bodies were just bones but the area around their shoulders and up their necks were covered in thick brown fur.

'The one with the least kills have to cook supper,' Link called before he launched himself at the first best canine. He buried his sharp teeth in the dog's furred throat. Shaking his head violently, he dislodged the skeleton's head from the rest of its body. Its glowing green eyes faded turning dull and lifeless moments before both the head and body exploded in a cloud of black smoke. Link didn't stand around to watch this happen though. He was to busy dealing with the next dog to bother.

Slash

Growl

Duck

Slash

Roar

Teeth grabbed on to bone.

Crunch

Splinters fell to the ground.

The dog yelped.

Then a long whine tore through the air just before smoke flowed over the ground.

Link looked up from the smoke that rose between his paws. Grimmjow was dealing with the last off the undead dogs. His tail whipped back and forth as he stood up on his hind legs, a paw raised above his head. White claws gleamed in the moonlight before the paw went down with enough force to shatter the bones of the last remaining skeletal dog. Its split jaw hit the ground with a crack. Black smoke rose from between his paws. He turned his head slightly as Link stopped next to him. 'It looks like a Sheikah artefact,' the blond commented. He bent down and picked the small oddly shaped wooden statue up.

'Sheikah's, the shadow people who guarded the royal family right?' Grimmjow said.

The wolf nodded.

'We should get back to Kakariko then I presume.'

The wolf growled as best as he could with the statue in his mouth.

* * *

"What… is this?!" Ilia gasped after Link had handed her the wooden statue he and Grimmjow had found less than half-an-hour earlier.

The bluenet was currently leaning against one of the walls in the small sanctuary. He was watching the humans and the strange rock creatures Link called Gorons. It really was pointless for him to be there, but he didn't want to just leave Link to deal with all of this nonsense alone either. He raised an eyebrow as the young Ordon girl grabbed her head. She was speaking as well – not that he really cared.

The girl went on growing more and more frustrated with herself as she continued when one of the living rocks exclaimed something in a burly voice.

"So what's the big deal?" Grimmjow asked Link once the blond had finished speaking to the people in the room.

"I was right. The statue belongs to the Sheikah. Apparently Iria somehow ended up with what's left of the tribe and that a person there helped her," Link said. "She also claims that the person who helped her talked about the rod of the heavens."

"So basically we have to find this Sheikah then?" Grimmjow concluded.

Link nodded slowly. "Gor Cobalt the Goron elder told me where the Sheikah lived and Morock, the one who left, is going to open up the path for us," he said. He turned and waved goodbye to the people in the room before walking with Grimmjow out off the house.

They moved up to the old explosive storage that Link had blown up while looking for the shadow insects. "We can continue tomorrow. I doubt that Morock will have even reached the Hidden Village yet," Link said.

They settled down next to the ruins of the storage. Link placed his hands on the ground and flames sprung from between his fingers. He moved back a bit, opened his food pouch, and started pulling food out of it…. "How about fish tonight?" he asked.

"Sounds good," Grimmjow said. He sat down behind his lover, wrapping his arms around the other's waist. His cyan eyes followed the blonde's pale hands as they cut the fish and some yellow fruit into pieces before spearing them with branches they'd gathered in the Lost Woods. The bluenet's hands travelled down, rubbing them along the blonde's thighs slowly. He hummed before his mouth descended on the teen's pale neck. A small smirk spread over his lips as he noticed the growing hardness of his mate's cock.

"Stop that," Link whined suddenly, swiping the bluenet's hands away. The man was persistent though. His warm hands were soon back and they were making it very hard for the blond to concentrate.

Panting lightly and with flustered cheeks, Link eventually turned around. He clenched his teeth. "I'm trying to cook Grimmjow keep your fucking hands to yourself, or I'll tie you up, got it?" he hissed.

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow as the smirk on his lips widened. "That's not what it sounded like this morning," he said. "You couldn't wait to have me ball's deep inside off you." He watched as the blonde's cheeks reddened even more.

Link took a deep breath. "Grimmjow," he said sweetly. "I love you, but if you don't leave me alone when I'm cooking supper for us when we're hungry, I'm going to string you up and torture you. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Grimmjow moved away slightly. He did not like the look in his mate's eyes. Not that he'd believed that the blond was just joking around the first time.

Link gave the man a harsh glare before turning back to their fish. Oh, he loved Grimmjow, and after the mating, he was not one to say no to sex. But he did have his limits. Now was not a good time.

It only took the bluenet a short while before he was back, holding his mate once more. This time, however, he was behaving. He leaned in closer to Link, and rested his head against the blonde's shoulder. It was fun to rile Link up, but he really didn't want to be forced away from the teen. Yes, he was possessive, so what? Despite what most people thought about him, he really liked to cuddle – not that he'd ever admit to sucha' thing. But he wanted to touch Link. To hold him and make sure he was still there. Not because he believed that the teen would ever willingly leave him. It was just that he knew how short life could be.

Link finally finished the food, and the two of them ate in silence.

…

Pale fingers brushed through messy blue locks slowly. A soft purr filled the air. The sound was soothing to the man listening. His mate was not awake yet. The man's face was much softer in sleep. His white bone mask shone faintly in the bright morning sun. It wasn't often that Link woke up before Grimmjow so it was really nice to get an opportunity to see the older man so relaxed. A big part off him wanted to just not care about Hyrule. He'd happily go with Grimmjow to Hueco Mundo and just leave this world to its fate.

The blond was brought out of his thoughts as the purring stopped, signalling that Grimmjow was waking up. "Bonjour l'amour," he said.

The bluenet yawned and stretched. He looked so much like a cat that it brought a smile to his face.

"Bonjour magnifique," the man hummed as he pressed his lips against a sensitive spot under his lover's ear.

A soft moan floated through the air.

The men's morning routine was cut short and to the point that morning. They weren't too interested in saving some unknown person – though the fact that it was a Sheikah did appeal to Link – but it had to be done.

The two of them headed back down to the village's only street. It was a good thing that Gor Coron had marked where they needed to go on Link's map. It would probably be difficult enough to find the place as it was.

The gravel beneath their feet crunched as they walked. A soft breeze pulled clouds of ash down from the rooftops. Judging by the weather it would be a warm day. The sky was clear-blue and cloudless.

"Link," an unsure voice almost whispered.

The blond turned around. "Colin, hello…" he said as he noticed the small blond standing behind one of the beams that held the wooden structure the topmost house in Kakariko stood on. He walked up to the boy. "What is it, buddy?" he asked as he kneeled down next to the small blond.

Colin looked over to Grimmjow with his big blue eyes. "You're leaving again…" he said. "I was hoping that…" He looked down at his hands.

Link smiled softly. "I know Colin but you wanted me to help Ilia remember," he said. He reached out and tousled the blonde's hair up.

Colin bit his lower lip. "Yeah, I know," he said lowly. He looked back up at Link. "She goes to the sanctuary everyday to pray…you know. I really hope she gets her memory back soon…" he mumbled.

Link smiled softly at him. "That's what we're working on right now," he said.

"He and you?" Colin asked, looking over at Grimmjow. His blue eyes widened. "Why does he have a hole through his…?" he fell quiet as he realised that it might not be very nice to ask that.

"Grimmjow isn't human," Link said. "It's like the Gorons or the Zoras. He looks human I know, but he isn't the hole is just a part of that O.K."

Colin nodded slowly. "O.K." he said. "He's helping you?" he asked curiously.

Link chuckled. "Yeah, he is." A warm hand landed on his shoulder and he looked up. He smiled at Grimmjow.

"We should get going," Grimmjow said.

Link nodded. "I know," he said. He turned back to Colin and pulled the little blond into a hug. "Are you O.K. now?" he asked as he moved away to stand up.

The boy nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright," he said.

"O.K. good," Link said. "We'll talk more when Grimmjow and I get back… see you later buddy."

"See you soon," Colin said shyly, his eyes glued on Grimmjow.

* * *

"Bulbins," Link pointed out.

Grimmjow looked up. There were several of those little green skinned weaklings around the canyon north of – well anything in the Eldin Province. The granite rock faces cast deep shadows down on them as they walked. The stark contrast between that and the Hyrule field was what had kept the little monsters in the dark for so long. He watched as Link pulled out his bow and a handful of arrows.

Tchick! Tchick! Tchick! Tchick! Tchick!

The bulblins fell dead to the ground. Smoke filled the air moments later as the bodies turned to nothingness.

"We should be there soon," Link said.

Grimmjow nodded slowly.

Neither man was really with it that day. They both moved on lost in thoughts. They hadn't been speaking much as they'd travelled across the biggest of Hyrule's fields and over the Eldin Bridge.

The head splitting sound of rocks being slammed together, or rather a Goron punching said rocks, brought the two men out of their thoughts. They had to be close now. There just was now way they'd be able to hear that otherwise.

"Cave," Link said, pointing towards a hole that as far as Grimmjow could remember from their last trip through that part of the country had not been there before. "Tunnel maybe," he said.

"Not yet it isn't," Link pointed out.

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow. "It's a blocked tunnel that still makes it a tunnel," he said.

"Does it really matter?" Link asked and the bluenet just knew that the teen was messing with him. "You were the one who insisted," he said.

"Yeah, yeah sure love whatever you say," Link said dismissively. "Hi Darbus how is it going," he asked as they stopped next to the sizable Goron patriarch.

"Just a bit more little human," the Goron said. He moved back slightly, pulling his arm back so he'd get a powerful hit.

BANG!

Darbus brushed his hands off. "There is a hidden village up ahead little human. The elders call it a forgotten place…" he said. "There is a scent here that has been burning my nostrils for a while now … it is the scent of evil."

"Thank you Darbus. We are very grateful for your assistance but there is no need to worry about the evil around here. We'll deal with it," Link said respectfully.

Darbus nodded slowly. A part of him wanted to offer further warnings, but something about the two men stopped him. "Good luck little human," he said instead.

"Thank you Darbus," Link said.

The Goron patriarch rolled up in a ball and took off without another word, hoping that he was right about the two men.

"There are monsters up ahead," Link told Grimmjow.

"Oh, how surprising," the bluenet said sarcastically.

The blond laughed softly. "Yeah, I know," he said.

They walked out off the tunnel. Before them a village became visible. Broken windows and piles of sand on the rooftops and porches and the corners of the windows let them know that the place hadn't been inhabited for quite a while.

As they walked forward, Link couldn't help but think that it looked like a movie set. He almost expected Blondie and Tuco to show up from somewhere. He started humming the 'The Good, the bad and the ugly' theme tune as he walked forward, shifting his bow in his hands. He placed an arrow on the string and fired it.

Tchick

Tchick, another arrow was fired. "Let's just kill anything that moves shall we," he told Grimmjow. "That barrel over there." he inclined his head. "Can you hit it with a Bala?"

Grimmjow, who had been looking at the blond with an amused expression, smirked. "Kill 'em all it is," he said. He looked over at the barrel the blond was indicating to, lifted his hand and sent a Bala off. He was about to ask why Link wanted him to do that when the barrel exploded. "Neat," Grimmjow said. He turned back to Link. "You go low I go high?" he asked.

Link chuckled. "Poor monsters won't even know what hit them," he said. "You go ahead." He moved forward, raising his bow as he went.

Grimmjow stomped off from the ground. He rose to a good bit above the village. Pantera was unsheathed. The silvery blade gleamed in the sunlight. "Let's feed you shall we," the bluenet said softly. He took off for the nearest bulblin. Thump. Landing behind it he swung Pantera through the air slashing the creature in two.

Tchick! An arrow passed by his ear. The bluenet looked up. He smirked as he noticed another explosive barrel. "Bala."

Boom!

He moved swiftly cutting through the next monster, blood flying everywhere.

…

Link moved into one of the houses. He'd heard sounds coming from in there. He pulled another arrow from a pouch. Flaring inside his hands moving fast as he hit the ground, he stabbed the arrow through the first bulblin's skull before placing it on the bowstring and firing it off at the second one. He looked around the room still humming on the theme. He barely noticed the broken furniture before heading back outside.

"I can't find anymore of them, and there is an old woman over that way," Grimmjow said as he landed next to Link. "Think she's the one we're looking for?"

"Probably," Link said. "I doubt that there is anyone else here."

"I'll leave you to it then," Grimmjow said. "There is no need to give the old thing a heart attack."

Link chuckled. "Don't forget this," he said as he grabbed the bluenet's arm to stop the man from leaving. He moved forward and claimed the man's lip in a rough kiss. "There," he said, "now you can go."

Grimmjow smiled as he Sonído-ed away.

Link sighed happily. _'Nayru, what would I do without him,'_ he thought. He walked up the street towards the far side of the village where the only housed that seemed to be getting some care stood.

There was a woman standing outside. Her face was sad where she stood looking out over the village. Red eyes scanned the area as she wondered what had happened. She was short barely reaching to the blonde's waist. Her clothes were almost kimono like and it was coloured in mute whites and browns even the red looked dusty. "Wait who are you…?" she asked as Link stopped before her. She didn't give him a chance to answer before she continued, "My name is Impaz. I'm the last resident of this poor village. My name comes from the great one who helped build this village so long ago. She once opened it up to the people but as you can see everyone else is long gone."

_'__This is the original Kakariko Village,'_ Link thought. Things really had changed over the years if that was the case. "It is an honour to meet you Impaz," he said out loud.

Impaz bowed her head. "This village was once the secret home of a proud tribe who served the royal family… But it fell into decline and became infested with dangerous beasts. It's become an awful place…" She told the young man. Then she finally realised why he seemed so familiar. "Excuse me for asking but is your name… Link?" she asked.

"Yes my name is Link," the blond answered.

"Ah! I knew it… So then, you saved that nice girl?"

"Ilia?" Link said. "No I did not save her, but she did find her way to safety."

"…How lovely. You know when she was here she would often cheer me up by saying that you would come to help. That sweet girl… She worried about this old woman even as I helped her to escape from here…" Impaz smiled at the memory. "By royal order, I can't leave this place until a certain person arrives… No matter what terrible fate is visited upon it… Oh, but listen to me blather on! I have a favour to ask: would you help me return this to her?" Impaz asked as she pulled something out off her obi. "I think she always kept it close to her heart, but even so, she didn't hesitate to part with it in order to protect me…" She held out a horn flute shaped like horse grass. The string it was attached to was decorated with small colourful beads.

"I'll make sure she gets it back," Link said as he accepted the necklace from the old woman.

"I believe in my heart that it's kept me safe all this time…" Impaz said. "Take good care of it."

"Of course," Link promised. He took a few steps away from the woman, preparing to bid her farewell when he remembered something that Ilia had said. "Impaz," he said. "You wouldn't happen to know what this is would you?" he inquired as he pulled the Dominion Rod out off one of his pouches.

"That rod…" the woman gasped. "Is that the Dominion Rod?"

"That's what I have been told," Link said.

"Ahh… Could it really be? Are you the messenger to the heavens?!" she said.

"Ehh, what do you mean by that really," Link asked, wondering if he should fear the answer or not.

"Among the legends of my clan, there is a story form the time when the Oocca still maintained contact with the royal family."

"Really?"

"Yes, it said that a mysterious rod was handed down from the people of the sky, and it was called the Dominion Rod… The rod was only to be carried by the messenger to the heavens when the royal family needed to communicate with the Oocca. From generation to generation, my ancestors have guarded the book that, by royal decree, was to be given to the messenger to the heavens," Impaz said. "Wait a moment I'll go get it." She disappeared into her house.

Link sighed. Well at least he was getting some kind of answers.

Impaz came back outside a moment later. "This is the book. Please take it." She handed Link the book. "This book is written in the ancient language of sky writing. I am so glad I stayed in this village… If I had not met that young girl, what would have become of me? Meeting that girl must have been ordained by the goddesses, so that I could be here today to pass on this knowledge…"

Link smiled at her. "Thank you Impaz," he said with a small bow.

"You take care of yourself now young man," Impaz said.

"Of course ma'am," Link said. He turned around and walked away from the old woman. Walking through the empty street, he looked down at the book Impaz had given him. Hopefully they could now figure out how to get to the sky.


	19. I'm No Bird

**I'm No Bird**

Link looked down at the horse grass charm in his hand as he pushed the door to the sanctuary open. It was a well made charm. He walked over to Ilia reluctantly. The girl had been much easier to deal with while she had no memory of him after all. He'd considered leaving the charm with Colin and just ignore her since he now had the book they needed, but he didn't want to put that much pressure on the young blond. "Impaz gave me this. She said it belongs to you," he said as he held the charm out to her.

Ilia's green eyes widened. She reached out and picked the charm up by its string. Lifting it up to her chest, she closed her eyes and said, "I… I knew you once…"

_'__Nope, not really,'_ was Link's first thought. She might believe she knew him, but she only knew what he had wanted her to know. No one in Ordon really knew him. He hadn't let them.

As Ilia continued, the blond turned his attention back to her. "Yes… This feels so familiar… The scent of hay… long ago… when we were young, you and I…"

_'__Eh, Ilia you're sixteen stop talking like an old woman, will you. Trust me you haven't grown that much,'_ Link thought. Really what was up with this girl? He didn't say anything yet though. As a matter of fact, he wouldn't say anything unless she got highly annoying.

"You were always there… You were always beside me…" Ilia said.

'_Yeah right,'_ Link thought. _'I wonder which universe you've been living in really?'_

A tear made its way down the brunette's cheek as she opened her eyes. "Link," she said, finally remembered.

Link rolled his eyes as the others left the room to give them some privacy. _'Pantera,'_ he thought knowing that the panther spirit wasn't far away.

_'__Yes, Link,'_ Pantera answered.

_'__Tell Grimmjow I'd like him to come here, please. People seem to believe I need to spend alone time with Ilia, and you know I'm not interested in that.'_ He didn't get a response, but he could feel Pantera leaving him. He looked up at Ilia as the girl started talking once more.

She was smiling softly as she said, "This gift was meant for you. It was something I wanted to give you before you left on your journey. Please, Link, take it." She held out the charm.

Link took a step forward. He placed his hands around hers and closed them around the charm. "Keep it, Ilia," he said as he let go off her. "And take good care of Epona. I won't be able to take her with me where I'm going." He looked over towards the door as it opened. A soft smile graced his lips as Grimmjow walked inside. "We were never meant to live in the same world you and I, Ilia. I don not belong here." He folded his arms over his chest. "I can only hope that you've grown enough these past few weeks to understand that."

"What do you mean, Link? Of course you belong here," Ilia said. "You belong with me."

Link shook his head as he chuckled. "No, Ilia, I don't belong with you. That was a silly girl's dream that you had, and I never partook in. You're the daughter of the Mayor. One day you will understand what that means." He felt Grimmjow's arms wrap around him. "This is farewell, Ilia," Link said. "We'll never see each other again. Good luck and remember Epona needs a rider." He looked up at Grimmjow. "I got a book from Impaz that I think Jehd might be interested in," he said. "He's down here." He walked over to the sanctuary basement and dropped down, leaving a very confused Ilia behind.

_'__Link can't possibly mean that,'_ the brunette thought. _'He can't possibly be leaving.'_ It would take the young girl months to finally accept that the blond was gone. So deep ran her fantasies of their life together.

Meanwhile Grimmjow landed next to Link. "The old woman gave you a book?" he said.

"Hmm, it's written in a language I don't understand though, but Jehd studies these things so I assume he might understand it," the blond said.

Grimmjow nodded. He wouldn't argue with that logic. He walked up to one of the walls down in the cave and leaned back against it, watching as Link talked to the measly little human that was standing down there. Now if Grimmjow hadn't known that they would be heading back to Hueco Mundo, he guessed that he might actually have put some time into learning Hylian, but as it was, it was pretty useless for him to know the language.

The weak looking brunet seemed rather enthusiastic about the small nondescript brown book that Link handed over to him. The man started chanting something. It didn't sound like Hylian. Not that Grimmjow could really tell the difference.

Blue eyes travelled over to Link as the blond pulled the Dominion Rod out off a pouch. It wasn't red and rusty anymore. Its blue gleam had returned and it seemed to pulse with power once more. The bluenet moved away from the wall as Link said something to the brunet. The man handed the book back over to Link, shaking his head. He walked out off the room dejectedly.

"That's convenient I guess," Grimmjow said as he touched the Dominion Rod.

Link nodded. He looked over at the tunnel out. "Jehd seems to think that there is something special about this bird statue. I've seen others as I travelled the land, and this one is different from the rest so I thought we could get rid off it," he said. "There is air coming from behind it so there might be something there. Jehd said he was going to travel around to the other statues but that seems like an awful waste of time to me."

Grimmjow snorted. "I guess I don't have to actually say what I thing about that," he said as he looked over to the owl statue. "Should you or I destroy it?" he asked.

"I should probably do it since your Ceros have a tendency to destroy more then just doors, and there might be something behind this thing that we need," Link said as he walked up to the statue. He placed his hands on the brown stone and took a deep breath.

Drojalam!

**_"_****_Eh, Rinku what's going on?"_** Midna asked. **_"Didn't that guy say something about other statues? Why are we still here?"_**

**_"_****_Over here Kohni leave him be," _**Grimmjow said.

Midna huffed, but she went over to him anyway… **_"So we're basically saving time then?"_** she said once the situation had been explained to her.

Grimmjow nodded.

Crack!

They looked over to where the statue had stood.

Link was brushing his hands off, smiling as he did so. By his feet lay a pile of rocks and sand. **_"There we go,"_** he said happily. He stepped through the hole and walked down the small tunnel that had been revealed. **_"Oh, no,"_** he groaned his voice echoing through the tunnel.

**_"_****_Nanda?"_** Midna asked.

**_"_****_It's a fucking cannon,"_** Link called back.

The imp and the bluenet moved forward. They followed the small tunnel down to where Link was standing. The blond was right there was a cannon in there. Sure it also looked a lot like a pile of junk but they could see that: first of all it was made out of one solid material, most likely iron, and second of all the chase and muzzle were intact.

**_"_****_We're going to have to take this over to the cannon maniac by Hairia-ko if we want to get it working,"_** Link said as he walked around the pile of metal.

Midna nodded. **_"I guess I'll be doing the heavy lifting then,"_** she said.

**_"_****_That would be very nice of you Midona,"_** Link said with a smile.

The imp chuckled. **_"Yeah, that's me … nice,"_** she said before her hair lengthened. Power surrounded the cannon as she lifted it up in the air. She tore it into pieces. **_"I'll see you guys there,"_** she said. And then she was gone.

* * *

**_"_****_I'm not using that,"_** Grimmjow said as he looked at the now whole cannon.

It had been almost a week since they'd brought the cannon to Lake Hylia. It had been a week of relaxation and training. Grimmjow and Link were much more in tune now. Their powers worked almost flawlessly together. Sure, they still had some things that did not work so well, but mostly everything they could combine in some way or another.

The blond had taken off to say goodbye to Colin one day. The poor boy had not been happy, but unlike Ilia, he did accept that it would happen… Link was leaving. The last thing he'd promised Link was that he'd take good care of his little sister. The blond was convinced that Colin would be alright.

Now, however, Link was standing next to his mate with an amused smile on his face. **_"Well, I guess you could follow me using a Garganta,"_** he said. **_"I happen to have to use this stupid thing since we don't know where to go."_**

Grimmjow grimaced. **_"I'd prefer if you didn't have to use it either, you know… besides how are you planning on getting it to work?"_** he asked.

Link lifted his Clawshot out off a pouch. **_"It has a clawshot pad in there so I guess I'll be using this."_** He held it up and said, **_"Whish me luck,"_** before firing it off.

The cannon jerked. It took a few steps forward as it shrugged. Then the muzzle was aimed towards the sky.

BOOM

Grimmjow ran a hand through his blue-hair. He really hoped that Link would be O.K.

**_"_****_Eh,_** **_Gurimujō," _**Midna said.

The bluenet turned to look at her. **_"Hai?"_** he said questioningly.

**_"_****_Ooccoo, is here. She's quite heartbroken,"_** she said.

Grimmjow sighed. **_"Tell her she can come with us, then,"_** he said. **_"As long as she leaves us alone once we are there."_**

Midna nodded. She looked down at the strange bird-like creature and conveyed the bluenet's message. She looked back up as the man ripped the very fabric of space open. The darkness that flowed from the void was overwhelming. Midna's eyes widened. The darkness was soothing to her. She guessed that light-dwellers would find it uncomfortable though.

A path of light spread out before them in the darkness as Grimmjow stepped inside. He spent a moment or so localising Link before he started running. He didn't Sonído though since he doubted that the strange bird could keep up with that.

…

Grimmjow reached out and ripped the Garganta open. He stepped out off it slowly, making sure that gravity did not take hold of him since he had no wish to get wet. There was a pool of water beneath his feet, and as he looked around, he could see several floating buildings. Some were brightly coloured in blue and purple while others were simply white. The place he stood in now looked like it had once been equipped with high walls at the very least but weather and wind must have torn those down long ago. He took a surprised step back as a strong wind pulled through the air almost dragging him with it. "Link?" he called. He couldn't see the blond anywhere.

Water rose from the pool beneath his feet. It formed a figure slowly. Bright green eyes blinked open, and the water gave way to smooth pale skin. "I am never using one of those again," Link said as he took half a step forward, burying his face in the bluenet's shoulder and pressing his body up against his chest.

_**"Eeeeeeeeeekk!"**_

Link looked down at the terrified Oocca in the water. He was about to ask what was wrong when he could hear the beating of wings overhead… big leathery wings. "Dragon," he whispered in awe. He turned to follow it with his gaze as it tore through the air above them. "That has to be the temple boss," he said. He turned to Midna **_"We're going to fight the boss so you might want to go back down in my shadow,"_** he said.

Midna nodded. **_"Sure, have fun,"_** she said before disappearing.

Grimmjow had blinked and looked up at the monster. He turned back to Link as the imp disappeared. "You really think so?" he asked.

Link nodded slowly. "Definitely," he answered. He stepped away from the bluenet, eyes glued on the winged beast. "Come on let's go after it," he said.

"We're not bloody birds Link. How do you suggest we get up there?"

The blond turned around and looked at his mate like the man was crazy. "Grimmjow," he said calmly like he was talking to a small child. "You are standing in mid air. Let's just walk up to the big dragon and cut its wings off." He smiled sweetly.

Grimmjow's jaw clenched. He didn't say anything to Link. He just walked up to the blond with a pained expression on his face.

Link reached up, wrapped his arms around the bluenet's neck, and stood up on his tiptoes so he could kiss the man. "It's O.K. sweetheart," he said with a smile. "We all do oversights sometimes."

Grimmjow looked down into his lover's emerald-green eyes. "I'm not that fond of heights… at least not when I can't even see the ground," he said. "I know it won't hurt me because I'd only fall if I used up all my Reiryoku but still…"

Link moved a hand and placed it on the bluenet's cheek. "I won't let you fall even if that happens," he said. He moved closer to Grimmjow once more, kissing him deeply.

The kiss ended and Link moved away, but he didn't move far. "Come on this won't take us long. With any luck we can leave for Hueco Mundo today," he said.

Grimmjow looked over at the dragon that was now circling the top off one of the buildings. "You're on. Let's get this over with. We can pin that stupid overgrown bat to the ground."

"Race you there," Link called as he took off with the wind.

They ran through the sky swiftly. Link's hair tore out off his ribbon. The thin blue band was grabbed by the wind. He stopped, a hand stretched out trying to catch it. He sighed as the ribbon passed through his fingers. Shifting his feet and turning his gaze back towards their goal, he took off once more.

Grimmjow drew Pantera from its sheath as he came closer to the winged monster. He watched as Link got into position on the other side of the beast. He stepped back with one foot and lowered his centre of gravity.

The dragon roared. It beat its great wings to get higher before locking on to its prey. This foolish being was going to regret traversing into her domain. She speeded forward and struck out with her claws. They grabbed at nothing. She flapped her wings again confused and angry when steely cold pain tore through her left wing. She tried desperately to get away when pain flowed down her other wing. 'Get off!' she roared.

Her wings failed her.

Pain

Falling

She could feel the air rushing by her.

Blood flowed from her tattered wings. Around her, the clouds faded away as she came closer and closer to a green field of… what she did not know.

It came closer and closer until the green things pierced her body. Her voice filled the air one last time in a desperate pained screech.

Next to the dying dragon a young man shimmered into existence. He'd travelled through the air as a part of it to avoid killing himself as he came closer to the ground. His long blonde hair fell into place around his face. His feet touched the ground soundlessly. Green eyes scanned the area. They had landed in the Sacred Grove.

Thud!

A tall muscular man with sky-blue hair and cyan eyes landed next to the blond. He raised a hand and a swirl of blue light formed in his outstretched palm. The hard cold energy was meant for only one thing–to destroy. It tore what was left of the once mighty dragon to pieces.

Smoke rose in thin tendrils slowly. It reached for the sky where it gathered to slowly form a mirror shard. Beams from the noon sun hit the silvery object and cast light onto the stone walls that surrounded them.

The skull kid had played there once. It had been his favourite spot.

The mirror slowly descended into the raised hands of the pale skinned blond. He closed his hands around it slowly, knowing that Midna would show up to claim it.

Drojalam!

**_"_****_Rinku you did it! It's the fourth shard!"_** Midna said happily. **_"Now we have them all!"_**

**_"_****_That we do Midona,"_** Link said. He smiled up at Grimmjow as the bluenet wrapped his arms around him. **_"You can go home now,"_** he said.

Grimmjow smiled. **_"Waka tte imasu,"_** he said. He looked out over the Sacred Grove noting the destruction that they had caused and sighed.

**_"_****_Hey… Rinku,"_** Midona said softly.

**_"_****_Hai, Midona."_**

**_"_****_We're really going to be able to go to Kage no Sekai now. We can destroy Zanto and throw him from his high horses,"_** Midna said.

**_"_****_Hai, Midona let's do that,"_** Link said.

Grimmjow shifted the blond in his arms around. He held out a blue ribbon and Link started laughing. **_"Arigatou,"_** he said.

**_"_****_So are we going yet?"_** Grimmjow said almost childishly.

Link tilted his head to the said, **_"Hai, love we're going now,"_** he said.

* * *

They landed in the mirror chamber. Dusk was falling over the land. They had taken a quick detour to Castle Town in order to refill their food stock since there was nowhere to get food in Hueco Mundo. As they approached the mirror stand, the three pieces of the mirror that they'd gathered emerged from Link's shadow. Midna followed not far behind. The shards settled into the stand merging with the piece already there. The big slab of stone that had risen from the sand last time they were there rose up into the air. White lines spread over its surface creating a perfect circle in its midst.

**_"_****_Some call out realm a world of shadows, but that makes it sound so unpleasant_**…" Midna said as she gazed into the spinning circles. **_"The twilight there holds a serene beauty… You have seen it yourself as the sun sets on this world. Bathed in that light, all people were pure and gentle… But things changed once that foul power pervaded the world…"_** Midna was interrupted by the remaining Sages.

Link turned around. Darunia stood there together with Impa and Saria, Nabooru and Rauru. Their heads were all bent low. **_"They claim it was all their fault," _**the blond told Grimmjow. **_"We overestimated our abilities as Sages and attempted to put an end to Ganondorofu's evil magic,"_** he translated. **_"We hope you can forgive our carelessness. O Kage no Hime."_** Link grimaced as he stepped forward. "Well you wouldn't have needed to deal with Ganondorf if Princess Zelda hadn't turned back time and sent Link and Harry back," he said. "Then Ganondorf would have been defeated, and your mistake would never have happened."

Saria's eyes went wide as she looked up at the blond. "You know of the Heroes that saved Hyrule from darkness so long ago?" she asked. Her surprise was mirrored in the eyes of her companions.

"I grew up hearing the stories of the Hero of Time and the Sheikah's Sorcerer," Link said. "My mother, their daughter, was named after you, Saria Sage of the Forest." He folded his arms over his chest. "I know who all of you are… I know that Ruto is the one missing among you… My Grandfathers told all of their grandchildren about you," he said.

The Sages looked to each other. This was a boy who knew the truth of what happened so long ago. None of them really knew what to say to him. True knowledge about the Hero of Time had long since disappeared in Hyrule. Not even the royal family remembered anymore. Only they knew and they were simply spirits now.

"You're lucky they held no grudge against you," Link said. "They highly disliked Zelda for separating them for so long and your current Princess isn't much better. We'll deal with Ganondorf for my Grandfathers' sake, however, so there is no need for you to worry about that." He fell silent. He knew he was being rude, but wallowing in self-pity had never done anyone any good. **_"Come on Midona…_** **_Gurimujō let's go. These people are but shadows of the brave Sages I heard so much about," _**he said as he turned towards the swirling light the mirror was giving off. He could feel the other two joining him as he walked up to the glowing light that came to form a set of stairs. Grimmjow took his right hand while Midna placed her small hand on his left shoulder.

Together they stepped onto the solid light stairs in front of the mirror.

As they walked two of them prepared themselves to go home.


	20. A White Wasteland

**A White Wasteland**

Warning: sex-scene ahead

* * *

The sky was a deep purple. At times bright orange light broke through. The clouds of this world were purple. The sky was filled with the soft light of twilight. Despite the beauty of the environment the very air felt depressing. It was heavy with fear and longing.

Midna looked around. It didn't feel right for her to turn up like this. Her imp form truly bothered her. **_"Rinku," _**she said catching the blonde's attention. **_"I don't want to approach my people like this. They are hoping to be saved, but as I am now…" _**She drifted off.

Link smiled softly. **_"I understand Midona," _**he said. His eyes travelled over to Grimmjow. **_"Isn't one of the Espada a scientist?"_** he asked.

Grimmjow nodded. **_"Szayelaporro,"_** he said.

**_"_****_You think he can be trusted?"_**

**_"_****_Most likely. He likes to experiment but Hollows usually feel more comfortable in packs so he won't touch us… unlike some, and he's not all that interested in following Aizen really,"_** Grimmjow said.

Link turned back to Midna. **_"With the scientist's help I should be able to break the curse upon you,"_** he told her.

Orange eyes widened. **_"You… you really think so...?"_** she said. Hope started shining in her eyes. She would be able to face Zant in her true form and take her Kingdom back. She turned to the two men. **_"What are we waiting for let's go,"_** she said.

…

White… everything was white.

The sand spread out for miles upon miles. Midna wondered how she had lived her life in the Twilight Realm without knowing that this lay beneath and beyond her borders.

At least the Twilight Realm was manageable. Suspended in mid air or not, one could walk across it without going nuts along the way.

Of course she wondered if it would have even been possible for her to enter this place if it hadn't been for Grimmjow. _'I guess I wouldn't have entered it alive at any rate,'_ she thought. _'It's so colourless…its,'_ she couldn't find a way to describe it.

Footprints spread out behind them. They had been running for quite some time. They were walking now so that they'd regain some of their lost Reiryoku.

Link realised as they walked that it had to be almost impossible to tell time in this place. The moon was at a constant half and there seemed to be no indication of the sun ever rising. It was like the Twilight Realm that was a constant dusk. Something had to be wrong. Why would these two places be stagnant otherwise? It wasn't normal. _'This place just feels like something is terribly wrong,'_ he though as he looked around.

A scream tore through the air. It was distant and it wasn't the first time it happened.

Grimmjow had told the others that the screams belonged to Hollows fighting with each other. He had also asked them to hide their power outflow or Reiatsu as well as they could. That had resulted in Link's energy disappearing completely. Not even the bluenet could feel him now. The man hadn't been too happy about that, but if it meant that his mate was safe he could stand it. He himself probably felt more like a Gillian or low lever Adjuchas which meant that other Hollows would have to come pretty close before they would felt him.

Travelling like this again brought back memories. Unlike other Adjuchas he had never been anything else, and despite how things normally worked, he had not consumed the souls of the Hollows he had devoured. He'd simply taken their Reiryoku. That it had killed them had been a side effect. He reached out and caught Link's hand in his own. For the first time in his (dead?) life he had something to lose other than his own life. He knew that the blond could pull his own weight in a fight, but this place was so different from Hyrule.

"You worry too much," Link whispered. He tightened his grip on the bluenet's hand.

Grimmjow snorted and shook his head in amusement. "Sometimes I wonder if I worry too little," he said.

Link rolled his eyes. He wasn't going to grace that with a reply. **_"Come on let's run again,"_** he said after a while. **_"We'll never get there otherwise."_**

…

They had settled down for a rest.

According to Grimmjow they still had quite some way to go, but the man didn't dare to use a Garganta since that would most likely alert Aizen and the Espada.

Link was sitting in the white sand with the Dominion Rod laying between his outstretched legs. He was trying to figure out how the magic in the rod worked. Did it only work on specific statues or could it be used on other things as well?

Grimmjow was surveying the area. The man didn't get tired in the same way as Link did since the small amount of Reiryoku that he use while he Sonído-ed, he could absorb from the very air around them.

Link could do that too but not as well as his mate.

**_"_****_Rinku watch out!"_** Midna screamed suddenly.

Link threw his body forward but it was too late. Sharp claws tore through his left shoulder, staining the sand in front of him red with his blood. He growled angrily and pushed his magic down into the sand. It flew up around him and formed a barrier between him and the Hollow. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The bleeding flesh that had only moments earlier been his shoulder started knitting itself together. He grabbed the Dominion Rod laying beside him and flared.

"LINK!"

The blond ignore his mate's call. He was pissed off at this monster damn it. Purely out off instinct he raised the rod in his hand and fired the pale green orb off at the masked beast. He froze as lines started spreading over the Hollow's body. The makings on his own flesh slowly changed to match the lines on the Hollow.

"What the hell is going!" Grimmjow said as he landed next to Link. He looked up at the immobilised Hollow, ready to attack within a moments notice.

"I… I think that I control its movements," Link said. "I sent of the orb from the Dominion Rod at it and just look at the Hollow hole."

Grimmjow's eyes travelled to what should have been a hole going straight through the Hollow's chest… but it wasn't. The hole was filled with pulsing green light just like the statues in the Temple of Time. Next to him Link turned around and took a step forward. The hollow followed with a thump. The bluenet released a breath he didn't know he had been holding and laughed. "It works," he said. Then his eyes widened as the Hollow opened its mouth and a Cero started forming. "Link are you doing this?" he asked his muscles tense.

"Oui, Oui I'm doing it don't worry love," the blond said.

**_"_****_What the bright sky is going on here,"_** Midna screeched. She moved up to Link. **_"You… you…you just what's going on?"_**

Grimmjow drew Pantera as Link turned towards Midna, a sheepish smile on his lips. **_"Gomen'nasai, Midona I didn't mean to scare you,"_** he said.

The imp closed her eyes and pressed the palms of her hands to her face. **_"I can't deal with this right now. I'll see you later,"_** she said before disappearing down into Link's shadow.

Grimmjow landed next to the blond once more. He pushed Pantera back into its scabbard before reaching out and pulling the blond close. "It hurt you," he whispered as he touched the blonde's bare shoulder.

Link nodded. "I didn't notice it until Midna screamed," he said, looking down at his hands.

"You have to pay better attention around here. This isn't Hyrule. The monsters won't be polite and just hurt you a little so you can kill them afterwards," Grimmjow said. "They will constantly go for the kill."

"I know Grimmjow," Link said. "I know." His arms wrapped around the bluenet tightly.

"I don't what to lose you," Grimmjow said softly. He ran his finger through the blonde's long unruly hair slowly.

Link smiled shyly as he lifted his head and kissed the taller man passionately. Out in the middle of Hueco Mundo might not be the best place to cuddle, he didn't care. He did, however, make certain that his senses were on high alert as Grimmjow lifted him up. Rough lips travelled down his cheek and left marks all over his exposed shoulder.

"Mine," Grimmjow whispered against the blonde's pale skin.

Green eyes locked onto blue. They were glowing hungrily. "More," Link hissed as he released his Reiatsu in a tight cocoon around them.

Grimmjow growled. He let go off the blonde's legs and grabbed his belt. Kisses were exchanged between the removal of clothes. Hungry desperate kisses that left them breathless.

Link let go off the bluenet's waist and let himself fall down into the white sand. He reached down and grabbed his pants, pulling them off in one swift motion, kicking his boots off as he did so. He reached out for Grimmjow, and the man fell down with his knees hitting the sand on either side of Link's thighs. The blond reached out, grabbed the sash holding the bluenet's hakama up and pulled at it.

The bluenet shrugged out off his torn jacket and threw it to the side before he leaned down to capture rosy lips. The kiss deepened as he moved. The blond wrapped his legs around the man's waist loosely. He lifted his hips and rubbed their hardening erections together. His hands rose and started combing through soft blue locks as they held Grimmjow in place.

Mouths opened and tongues danced.

Grimmjow pulled away from the kiss. He was breathing heavily. With a smirk on his lips, he grabbed Link's hip to steady the blond. Looking down into his mate's eyes, he could see the blondes pupils wide with lust. Hands travelled down his chest as he lined his cock up with his lover's entrance. "Hold on tight," he said before pushing his way inside.

Link gasped. _'Fuck that feels good,'_ he thought as he relaxed. He could feel the bluenet moving deeper inside him and he rocked his hips lightly.

"You keep doing that and I won't be able to keep it slow," Grimmjow said between clenched teeth.

"Maybe I don't want you to take it slow," Link replied. He grabbed a hold off the bluenet's shoulder and flipped them over so he was on top. "Maybe I want it rough," he said as he lifted himself up. He could feel the cock sliding out off him. When only the tip was still inside him, he lowered himself back down swiftly. He repeated the action a few times before Grimmjow's hands settled on his hips.

They moved together in a rough animalistic harmony. No more words were spoken. Neither man was in any condition to speak or even think as they moved together.

Link moaned deeply as he came. He could feel his mate's seed filing him up as Grimmjow came only moments later. His body fell forward. Sitting up slowly, he smiled down at Grimmjow. "That can't possibly have been a good idea under the circumstances," he said.

Grimmjow closed his eyes, sighed and then he started chuckling deeply. "Non," he said.

"Je t'aime," Link whispered.

"Je t'aime aussi."

* * *

They were running once more. Grimmjow had felt a disturbance not too far away some time ago. They were heading towards that disturbance now. As they came closer, Link could pick up on the strange feeling as well. He had never felt anything like it before and had therefore not noticed it until then. He could feel Grimmjow grabbing his hand to slow him down.

"Can you hide us?" he asked.

Link looked down at the sand beneath their feet. "I should be able to," he said. "Creating an illusion with the help of sand is not as easy as using water, but with this magnitude of sand, it should be possible." He took a deep breath as his magic flowed out around them.

Grimmjow was glad that he didn't feel any different as the sand enveloped them. When Link used water, it felt almost like he was melting, and he did not enjoy the sensation.

When the magic had taken hold they moved forward. As they walked, voices could be heard. The only problem with using sand was that it cut off their sight something awful when they used it. In that regard water was much better, but since there was no water in Hueco Mundo, they couldn't have used that element either way.

**_"_****_Is that place even there…? It's not like a mirage or something, is it?" _**

**_"_****_It's not a mirage. There's no way we could see one here. Shall I explain the theory behind mirages so that it's easy to understand?" To begin with, a mirage is…"_**

**_"_****_No thank you!"_**

'What's with these people?' Link asked Grimmjow in beast so that the people sitting in front of them wouldn't notice.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. _'Foolish children!'_ he thought. The hatred he'd felt towards the Shinigami Daikō was gone. Now all he saw was a child pushed into a situation that grown-ups should have handled. In some ways the boy reminded him of himself… well minus the bloodlust.

**_"_****_You know… when we got here I thought this was some kind of death world with nothing in it… But there's more small life forms than I expected."_**

'That's Kurosaki Ichigo,' Grimmjow said. 'I've fought him. He's decent just needs some guidance really.'

Link nodded.

'I don't know about the others. I haven't met them before but they are humans.'

**_"_****_Aren't human souls the main source of food for Hollows?"_** Ichigo asked. **_"What do you suppose these little ones eat to survive…?"_**

**_"… _****_Hueco Mundo has a high level of Reishi in the atmosphere… Perhaps the small ones are able to get enough nourishment just by breathing."_**

**_"_****_Atmospheric Reishi level concentration!? How do you know that?"_**

**_"_****_Because unlike you Kurosaki, he uses his brain to think with,"_** Grimmjow said loud enough for the humans to hear him.

Ichigo was on his feet in an instance. His huge was sword drawn and he was ready for a fight. He knew that voice. He had heard it before. "**_Gurimujō_** **_Jagājakku," _**he said.

**_"_****_Sheesh, calm down or Aizen will realise something is wrong,"_** Grimmjow said as the sand that had hidden him and Link from view disappeared. He was standing relaxed with one arm slung over Link's shoulders. He blinked as the blonde's staff came into view and hit a blue arrow from its path.

One arrow was followed by many and a wall of sand rose before them before a cupola was erected around them all. **_"Calm the fuck down before I completely cut off you damn air supply, will you_**!" Link roared. He stepped forward his green eyes narrowed. The wall between them fell. An arrow passed right by his head. **_"Oh, for fuck's sake,"_** Link growled. He slammed one end of his staff down into the sand and it rose up around the offending human, grabbing on to the teen's hands and feet so he couldn't move. **_"There that's better,"_** he said.

Ichigo blinked. _'What is going on?' _he wondered. He watched as the blond man with strange jade markings on his skin walked forward and sat down. **_"Why don't you take a seat?"_** he said.

Ichigo looked over at Sado. The taller teen shrugged. Anything that did not mean fighting was fine with him. Casting a glance back at Ishida, Ichigo noticed that the raven had been gagged. He raised an eyebrow as he sat down with the blond. His eyes moved over to the Espada as the man sat down behind strange man.

Link smiled at the oranget. **_"Watashi no namaeha Yoarashi Rinku," _**he introduced himself.

**_"_****_Kurosaki Ichigo,"_** the teen said.

**_"_****_Sado Yasutora,"_** the tall brunet said as he sat down next to Ichigo.

**_"_****_And he is Ishida Uryū,"_** Ichigo said as he pointed over his shoulder at the raven.

**_"_****_Hajimemashite,"_** Link said and Grimmjow rolled his eyes.

**_"_****_If you're going to sit here and exchange pleasantries with the kids, I'm going to go on ahead,"_** Grimmjow said impatiently.

**_"_****_I'm just being nice Gurimujō. You should try it out sometime,"_** Link said teasingly. He turned back to the somewhat confused looking oranget. **_"You are heading towards Las Noches, right?"_** he asked.

Ichigo nodded slowly. He was uncertain how much they could actually trust these two. Grimmjow was supposed to be one of Aizen's Espada after all. Of course just the fact that they were there was strange in itself, and he hadn't seen the Sexta last time the Espada had invaded the human world. He took a deep breath. It was all or nothing and the blue-haired Arrancar was different. **_"Hai, we're on our way to Las Noches. The Espada have kidnapped our friend Inoue Orihime, and we have come here to save her,"_** he said.

**_"_****_With only three guys,"_** Grimmjow said amused. **_"You realise that Aizen has ten Espada in there, and then there is him and those two bloody Shinigami as well. He probably already knows you're here. There is even a chance that he hoped you would come and planed for it."_**

**_"_****_And you think you know better Hollow,"_** Ishida spat. **_"For all we know you are one of his Espada."_**

Grimmjow's eyes narrowed. **_"Not after those fucking wimps ganged up on me and did their best to beat the crap out off me I'm not,"_** he scoffed.

**_"_****_We're planning to start a rebellion among the Espada,"_** Link said. **_"That should make it easier for you to get your friend back safely. It would all be easier if we worked together."_**

**_"_****_Yeah, right you just want us to trust you so that you can stab us in the back later,"_** Ishida said.

Link sighed. **_"Look here I was born in the human world. I care about its safety. My family is down there now…"_** he fell silent. **_"You know I … could you tell me what year it is down there now?"_** he asked. **_"I have been gone for four years or so and…"_**

**_"_****_2010,"_** Ichigo said.

**_"_****_Eh… O.K. that's not good,"_** Link said. He looked up at Grimmjow. "That means my mom is like nine-years-old right now," he said in French.

"You're not even born yet?" Grimmjow said.

Link shook his head. He looked up at the humans. **_"Trust me it would take way too long for me to explain that particular problem to you right now,"_** he said. **_"You want to save your friend as soon as possible, right?"_**

Ichigo nodded.

**_"_****_Well, trusting us would be the fastest way to achieve that," _**Link said as he stood up. **_"Anything else we can most likely discus while we run." _**He walked up to the oranget and held a hand out. **_"What do you say can you work together with an Arrancar and a Twili-hybrid?" _**he asked.

Ichigo looked over at Sado. The brunet shrugged. He reached out and grabbed the blonde's hand. **_"Sure, why not,"_** he said.

Link smirked as he pulled the oranget up on his feet. The sand that had enveloped them fell back and joined the rest.

**_"_****_Kurosaki are you insane,"_** Ishida said angrily.

Ichigo turned to look at the raven with a raised eyebrow.

**_"_****_If he was insane I doubt he would know about it, and he certainly wouldn't say he was,"_** Link said.

Ishida closed his fists. He had no clue what kind of being this was. He had never met one like him before, and it scared him. The blond was an unknown. He looked at the blond and the Hollow. He'd keep an eye on them for sure. He guessed there was no point in trying to change Ichigo's mind though. The oranget was so stubborn.

…

**_"_****_So you guys are actually dealing with some idiot in this Hairaru as well?"_** Ichigo said. He had managed to convince Link to tell them about himself, and they had now come to why the blond was there with them now.

The blond nodded. **_"Hai, that's right," _**he said. **_"But Gurimujō wanted to go here and beat the crap out of Aizen so we decided to take a bit of a detour."_**

**_"_****_That all sounds very..."_**

**_"_****_Oh, don't try to say I'm lying or that I'm delusional or something. You have exactly the same thing going on here. This world and the Shinigami world they shouldn't be connected to the human realm. They shouldn't actually exist as far as human are concerned but here we are,"_** Link said. **_"And I'm not actually born yet in the human realm. My mother is nine. Try to explain that without travelling through at least two worlds with different time connections."_** He had cut the raven-haired teen off.

Ishida closed his eyes. The more he learned about the blond man the less he understood. There were other worlds out there? He froze as a strange sound reached his ears. _'What is that?'_ he wondered. He turned around to look behind them, and he wasn't the only one.

Link raised an eyebrow as he saw a gigantic worm-like creature breaking out of the dunes. "Should we bother?" he asked Grimmjow. He could sense the beings Reiatsu after all and it wasn't much.

The bluenet snorted. "Non," he said.

It was too late to stop Ichigo from going though. The oranget had already taken off.

Link sighed. He moved after the Shinigami Daikō.

There were three shapes being chased by the wurm. One was large and heavyset with small hands and feet. It wore a hooded yellow bodysuit which was covered with black polka dots of varying sizes, and its head was almost as big as its body. Its Hollow mask covered its entire head and looked a lot like a stereotypical tiki mask. The second was more humanoid with seemingly purple skin, and the third was small covered by a cloak and felt more like Grimmjow than any other Hollow Link had encountered so far. He bent down and scooped the small figure up.

**_"_****_Big Brother!"_** the little girl in his arm called in fear. Link turned around. He sighed as he saw how the humans had started attacking the ones that had been following the girl. **_"That's enough,"_** he said in a commanding voice. **_"They were just playing stop attacking them."_**

Ichigo and his friends turned around to look at him. He reached up and pulled the hood off the girl in his arms. **_"She's an Arrancar,"_** he said. **_"And they were playing I'm sure."_**

The girl shifted in his arms and looked up at him. **_"You're right. We were playing endless chase,"_** she said.

**_"_****_But you were crying,"_** Ichigo said confused.

**_"_****_Hai,"_** the girl said. **_"I'm an extreme masochist so it's not fun unless they chase me till I cry a little."_**

**_"_****_What are you teaching this kid?!"_** Ichigo asked angrily as he punched the biggest of the Hollows.

**_"_****_Neru, help!"_**

**_"_****_Neru? Is that you name?"_** Ishida asked.

**_"_****_Hai," _**the girl said. **_"I'm Neru Tou the Arrancar!"_**

Ichigo's eyes widened slightly. _'She's an Arrancar, but she's so small,'_ he thought.

**_"_****_Nerieru Tu Ōderushuvanku the former Tres Espada," _**Grimmjow said as he stopped next to Link.

The girl turned around and her eye widened in fear. **_"Sexta-sama,"_** she said in awe. **_"Sexta-sama pleate don't hurt Neru. Neru is a good girl she will stay out off Sexta-sama's way."_**

**_"_****_Urusai, gaki," _**Grimmjow hissed. **_"My bitch is holding you do you really think that I would hurt you after he's decided to let you live?"_**

Nelliel looked up at Link with wide eyes. Sexta-sama's bitch was holding her.

The blond rolled his eyes. He walked up to Ichigo and the others. **_"None of you need to worry O.K. We won't hurt you. You can go back to playing,"_** he said as he placed Nelliel down. **_"Go on have fun. Just don't go near Las Noches."_**

Nelliel nodded as she walked over to her brothers. **_"Okay,"_** she said. **_"Good luck…"_**

**_"_****_Rinku."_**

**_"_****_Rin-ku,"_** Nelliel said with a smile.

…

**_"_****_Do you really think she'll be alright out there,"_** Ichigo asked as he looked back. Nelliel and her brothers had disappeared from their sight long ago though. Now all he could see was more white sand.

**_"_****_You're a big brother aren't you?"_** Link asked.

**_"_****_Huh?"_** the oranget said. **_"Yeah, but what's that got to do with anything?"_**

**_"_****_You have at least one little sister, and that is why you are so worried about that girl,"_** Link said. **_"I was the youngest and my siblings always worried about me."_** He looked over at Grimmjow. **_"Neko-sama over there had a little sister. You didn't notice it, but he made certain that lower level Adjuchas will stay way from Nerieru from now on."_**

Ichigo blinked surprised. He knew that Hollows had once been human, but he'd never really considered that most of them also had family they had cared about. It was like Inoue's older brother. **_"So she won't get killed out there then?"_** he asked.

**_"_****_I do not know how this 'she' you speak off is but I will be the one to kill you painfully. I am the Guardian of the White Sand, Runuganga."_** A massive Hollow had risen from the dunes. **_"I just received a message from Las Noches that intruders have entered. I'll turn you all to sand in the desert!"_** it said.

**_"_****_Getsuga Tenshou!"_** Ichigo roared before a crescent shaped energy field flew through the air. It went straight through the mask of the Hollow, something that would normally kill it. **_"There, that should shut him up,"_** the oranget said.

**_"_****_Not so fast Ichigo,"_** Link said. He pulled out his staff.

**_"_****_You will not be forgiven,"_** Runuganga said as his mask was mended together.

**_"_****_My turn,"_** Link said. **_"How about the sand Hollow meet the Element Master."_** He placed his staff against the ground and drew a circle with it. At first it looked like nothing happened.

**_"_****_Water?"_** Ichigo said. **_"In a desert?"_**

**_"_****_Tsugi no mai."_**

Ichigo turned around. He knew that voice.

**_"_****_Hakuren."_**

Ice enveloped the Hollow.

**_"_****_Well, that's annoying,"_** Link said. **_"I was dealing with it."_** He turned around.

**_"_****_Rukia,"_** the oranget said. **_"Renji."_**

**_"_****_Great… Shinigami,"_** Grimmjow said. He couldn't say he held any love for those. He watched as Ichigo took off towards his friends.

**_"_****_Rukia… Renji…"_** Ichigo called happily as he reached his two friends. **_"You guys…"_** He didn't see the fist coming, but someone else had. He was pushed back as a green clad body moved in between him and his friends.

The fist was caught in a pale hand. **_"I won't let you do that,"_** Link said. **_"His brain works a bit so-so as it is. There's no need to make it worse."_**

The two Shinigami were taken back. The angry speech that Rukia had prepared for her idiotic friend fell away from her consciousness. **_"Who the hell are you?"_** she asked.

**_"_****_Yoarashi Rinku," _**Link introduced himself with a small bow. Then he took a step back and folded his arms over his chest. **_"Can we not argue about stupid ideas now? Gurimujō is likely to start killing someone, and the best candidates right now are you two since he doesn't like Shinigami all that much."_**

Ichigo looked at the blond strangely. _'Why did he step in between?' _he wondered. Not that he'd wanted to get hit by Rukia… or Renji for that matter, but he didn't understand why the blond had stepped in between.

**_"_****_Gurimujō, that is the one that…"_** Rukia looked over to the group of people that were coming closer. There at the back was the Espada that had punched a hole straight through her stomach. **_"That is an Espada Ichigo. What the hell are you doing with an Espada?"_**

**_"_****_He's helping us,"_** Ichigo said. He saw how the petite raven-haired woman lifted her hands to her face and groaned.

**_"_****_It's a Hollow Ichigo you can't trust it,"_** Renji said. He drew Zabimaru, ready to release the blade and attack the Espada.

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow at him. **_"Don't overestimate yourself Shinigami,"_** he said. **_"Not even with your Bankai would you stand a chance against me."_** He placed an arm around Link's shoulders. **_"Not anymore at least,"_** he said.

Renji took a step forward, but was stopped by Ichigo stepping between him and the bluenet. **_"They are helping us Renji,"_** he said. His eyes were glowing with determination. **_"If you want to fight Gurimujō, you are going to have to go through me and we both know how well that went last time. We would be giving Aizen the win on a silver platter."_**

Link sighed. **_"Were you guys going to save poor Inoue-san or not?"_** he asked.

Ichigo nodded. He started walking when something struck him. **_"That reminds me. What's up with the cloaks?"_** he asked. **_"You guys pick them up somewhere?"_** He knew that the brown cloaks were not a part of the normal Shinigami outfit. They normally didn't wear anything but their Shihakushō.

**_"_****_These,"_** Rukia said and touched the cloak she was wearing. **_"We were told to take these because the dust clouds in Hueco Mundo are pretty bad…"_**

**_"_****_By who?"_** Ichigo asked.

**_"_****_Byakuya nii-sama,"_** she answered.

The humans seemed shocked at the news.

**_"_****_Oh, please shut up!"_** Grimmjow growled. **_"If you keep going on like that inside of Las Noches they will find you right away."_** He placed a hand against the solid white wall. **_"Would you do this Rinku you're the least noisy of us?"_** he asked his mate.

Link smirked. **_"One way into the big fort coming up,"_** he said as he walked up to the wall. He placed his hands against the wall, closed his eyes and let his magic out slowly. The wall crumbled beneath his fingertips. **_"There we go,"_** he said with a smirk.

A dark tunnel had opened up before them.


	21. In the Halls of Bright Night

**In the Halls of Bright Night**

The group had grown.

What had once consisted of simply Link and Grimmjow with Midna sort of along for the ride, now also consisted of three humans: Kurosaki Ichigo, Sado Yasutora and Ishida Uryū and two Shinigami: Kuchiki Rukia and Abarai Renji.

They were running through the darkness that Link's hole had opened up.

**_"_****_Man, this is a thick wall. How long does it go on?"_** Ichigo asked. **_"And it's so dark I can't see anything."_**

**_"_****_Hmm… No choice then,"_** Renji said cockily. **_"Leave this to me!"_** He started charging something when he was interrupted

Link had reached out and grabbed one of the redhead's wrists.**_ "Gurimujō did tell you guys it would be smarter to be as quiet as possible. That goes to how much Reiatsu you let off too. Let me deal with it at least no one really knows what they're searching for with me,"_** he said. He lifted his staff up and it started glowing as fire spread along it. **_"Good enough?"_** he asked.

Ichigo smiled and nodded. **_"Yeah that's much better, arigatou,"_** he said.

Renji huffed. **_"Yeah right I could have done a good job too,"_** he said grumpily.

**_"_****_I highly doubt it Renji. You know your Kido sucks. You would most likely have messed up," _**Rukia said.

Link rolled his eyes and flared forward. All around him torches lit up by themselves. "That's not good," he whispered. He looked around the room. There were so many paths to take from this place. "We're going to split up right?" he said as he looked up at the bluenet that had stopped next to him.

Grimmjow nodded. "I'm going to try to find Harribel and her girls. They shouldn't be too hard to convince. Not all of us were controlled by Aizen. She joined sort of voluntarily but I think they'd all be more interested in helping us," he said.

Link nodded. "I'll keep track of the kids over there," he said. "You go on ahead." He reached up and kissed the bluenet deeply. "Love you. Don't get yourself killed, O.K."

"Right back at you, bitch," Grimmjow said with a smirk. He bent down and kissed the blond one last time before disappearing.

Link walked up to the others. **_"He'll try to convince the topmost Espada to join us. In the meantime we should try to find your friend,"_** he said.

Ichigo's brown eyes looked onto Link's green ones. **_"Can you feel the heaviness of that Reiatsu up ahead?" _**he asked. He received a smirk in response.

**_"_****_There are five paths,"_** Sado said.

**_"_****_Are we going to have to try them one by one starting from the end…!?"_** Ishida asked.

**_"_****_NO… We'll each take one path at the same time,"_** Rukia said as she came walking up to the rest of them.

**_"_****_What're you saying!? Our opponents are the Espada. It's obviously…"_** Ichigo quieted down as Link placed a hand on his shoulder.

The blond reached out and orbs of multicoloured light flew over to every person in the room. The orbs merged with their skin as they hit, spreading warmth through them. **_"I will be able to come to the aid of any one of you now. Should you face an Espada I will come to your aid."_** He looked at Ichigo. **_"Is that good enough for you Ichigo-kun?"_** he asked.

Ichigo looked out at his friends. He gave a curt nod. **_"Hai!"_**

**_"_****_That is unnecessary,"_** Renji said. **_"Showing concern for a warrior's life on the battlefield is an insult to that warrior."_**

**_"_****_Or it means that you want to work out a strategy that will actually bring everyone back alive,"_** Link said. **_"Simply rushing into battle is the path of a warrior that cares naught for their own life."_** He removed his hand from the oranget's shoulder. **_"I didn't just place the orb so that I could come to your aid… I also placed them so that I could travel to you when you find an Espada because Gurimujō and I are uniting as many of them as we can to fight Aizen."_**

Five sets of eyes turned to the strange human-looking teen. Renji took a step forward. The blond was right, he guessed. **_"Let's do a chant before we go…"_** he said.

**_"_****_A chant?"_** Ichigo asked confused.

**_"_****_Yeah,"_** the redhead said, looking down at his hands. **_"You do it before a decisive battle. It's almost like a tradition in the Gotei 13. Lately it's gone out of style and almost no one does it, but I thought it's something that would be should be done at a time like this."_** He reached out with his hand.

Link chuckled. **_"I get your drift,"_** he said. **_"My siblings used to promise me they would be back before they went out to fight."_** He placed his hand on top of Renji's.

**_"_****_Really Renji,"_** Rukia said amused as she reached out.

The redhead shrugged. He waited until the others had joined them as well. **_"We! At this moment head into the decisive battle! Have faith that our blades will not shatter."_**

**_"_****_Have faith that our hearts will not waver!"_**

**_"_****_And even if our paths should diverge, we all share a heart of iron! Swear that even if the ground beneath us should be rent asunder WE WILL LIVE AND RETURN TO THIS PLACE AGAIN!"_** Renji finished.

The other five took off al at once while Link stood there with a smile on his face. Strangely enough that had felt a lot like back when his sibling fought in the Realm War. Of course in this time that war had yet to take place. _'Who to follow?'_ he thought.

* * *

The corridor was long and winding. Ichigo had no clue how long it had been since he said goodbye to his friends – both old and new. He knew he might be just a little overprotective, but he really couldn't help it. At least Link had calmed him somewhat. Now wasn't that a strange turn of events? Just a few weeks ago he had battled Grimmjow, and now they were working on the same side. Of course he guessed that he'd done the same with Renji and most of the other Shinigami. _'I doubt that I'm the reason Grimmjow have changed though,' _he thought. He was quite sure it was the blond that had brought out the changes in the hot tempered Espada.

**_"_****_Lost in thought, huh?"_**

Ichigo blinked in surprise before looking to his left. **_"You're coming with me?"_** he asked as he saw the blond next to him.

Link shrugged. **_"It is easier to get along with you than the others, and there were only five paths. Besides I can bring you with me if it becomes necessary,"_** he said.

They moved together. The path had become one long straight corridor now. They couldn't even see the end off it. The only sound was off their feet touching the ground…. That was until Ichigo stopped. He looked up to the ceiling with narrowed eyes. **_"Come out!"_** he called. **_"Whoever's hiding up there! I told you to come out!"_**

Link rolled his eyes as he noticed the Arrancar as well. He moved forward so that he would end up behind the man. A few feet a way from him one of the ceiling beams crashed as the Arrancar moved away from them.

**_"_****_Shit!"_** Ichigo said. **_"Like I'll let you run away!"_**

**_"_****_Hmph… Who's running… away,"_** a deep voice said. **_"OOF!"_** The Arrancar fell down next to Link.

Ichigo looked over at the blond. _'What the hell?'_ he thought. **_"Ehh,"_** he said.

**_"_****_TAAAAAADAA!"_** the Arrancar called before he started coughing. He stood up and perfected his pose as the dust settled. He looked up at the Shinigami. **_"Wait just one second! What's with that reaction?! What's with that reaction!? What's with that…"_**

Smack! **_"Shut the fuck up," _**Link said. **_"If you're going to fight someone fight them don't go all flashy and talk."_** He said as his staff warmed up, he tore it straight through the Hollows head. He looked up at Ichigo as the hollows body turned to blue sparkly dust.

The oranget was staring at him. **_"You just…"_** he didn't know what to say.

**_"_****_Call me a monster if you want to, but I learned long ago that when they give you an opening you take it no matter what," _**Link said as he shook blood off staff. **_"This is war. There is no time for little cutesy talks and flashy entrances. We fight to win, do we not?"_**

Ichigo's hand tightened on his blade. He nodded slowly. **_"I just never…. Everyone sort of let's that happen, kind off," _**he said.

Link snorted. **_"I grew up in a War. It's all well and good to be polite, but there is no honour in getting yourself killed because you stop and listen to your enemies, or because you tell them how your attacks work for that matter,"_** he said. He turned his head. **_"Your friends are fighting," _**he said.

**_"_****_Where?"_** Ichigo asked.

Link shook his head. **_"Let's trust in their abilities shall we," _**he said. **_"If we're going to win this we're going to need all the energy we can keep."_**

Ichigo bit his lip. He really didn't like leaving his friends to fend for themselves.

**_"_****_How would you feel if they kept turning up when you are fighting Ichigo-kun?"_** Link asked. **_"Let them deal with their own fights and let's continue."_** He turned and flared once, leaving the oranget behind. He knew that Ichigo would catch up with him.

…

They had been running for a while when Link felt a change in the Reiatsu around them. **_"Ishida has won," _**he said. He could feel the tension in his companion's shoulders disperse somewhat. Then the Reiatsu changed once more. **_"And Sado has won as well… see I told you to trust in them,"_** he told the oranget. His steps faltered. Someone far stronger than the Arracar that the brunet had been fighting was approaching the teen. **_"Espada!"_** he hissed. He turned and held a hand out to the oranget. **_"Sado cannot fight this one by himself,"_** he said.

* * *

**_"_****_Run away!" _**

Sado turned to look down at his fallen foe. _'Why does he want me to run?'_ Then he could feel it. There was an enemy approaching them. He looked up as a tall shadow was cast on the ground. There was a tall lanky Arrancar standing before him. The man was wielding a giant crescent mooned axe. The two sides of the blade were joined together at the outer curve.

**_"_****_Yo,"_** the Arrancar said. **_"You the first one to get here?"_**

Sado moved. He lifted his right arm up in front of his body.

**_"_****_Stop! Run Sado Yasutora!" _**

The brunet didn't listen. _'No problem. His movements are slow,'_ he thought. _'I can tell he's pretty skilled, but rather than waiting and seeing what he's going to do, I'll wrap this up in one blow.'_ He closed his fist and charged forward, punching the tall man with all his might.

**_"_****_The hell?"_** the Arrancar said. **_"Is that you best shot?"_**

Sado's eyes widened. Nothing had happened. He stumbled back as the Arrancar's axe tore through his chest. He fell back as he lost his footing.

**_"_****_Tch, look at you. You're just a weakling,"_** Nnoitra said. He turned around when two shapes appeared in his peripheral vision. **_"Tch, more intruders…"_** he said as he started walking towards them.

A soft breeze blew past the figures and Nnoitra froze. The wind brought with it a scent he never thought he'd catch again. **_"Gurimujō,"_** he said his eye narrowing. It moved over the orange-haired Shinigami. No, it wasn't him. **_"You're Bobo's bitch, huh? How the hell did he get his hands on you?"_**

Link rolled his shoulders and lifted his staff. **_"Noitora Jiruga,"_** he said. He'd had a long talk with Grimmjow about the Espada during their trip across Hueco Mundo and this was one of the ones that his mate didn't even want to give a chance at joining them. He didn't wait for the man to say anything else. His staff raced forward, lifting the sand around them up. He made sure that Ichigo and Sado ended up on the outside of the dome he created. **_"Let's fight, Quinto,"_** he said.

Nnoitra laughed. **_"With that stick, bitch? You won't stand a chance. I am the strongest of the Espada,"_** he said.

**_"_****_Your number says differently,"_** Link said as he disappeared. He moved around the Arrancar and hit at the man's unprotected back. Blood splattered out on the sand beneath their feet.

**_"_****_What the hell!"_** Nnoitra exclaimed.

**_"_****_If you underestimate me this will be a very short fight Espada-sama,"_** Link said mockingly. He moved forward once more as the giant crescent axe flew through the air. It tore through his body cutting it half.

**_"_****_Tch, you talk big but can't back it up you little…"_** He froze as a metal rod forced itself through his chest.

**_"_****_What you cut through is only sand,"_** Link said. **_"Now burn, Espada, burn for what you did to my mate!"_** he forced his magic through the staff and watched as flames tore into the man's flesh.

**_"_****_I'm not done yet,"_** Nnoitra hissed. He gathered his Reiatsu and then he released it in a small shockwave that pushed the blond away from him. **_"Inore Santa Teresa,"_** he said.

Link stumbled back. _'Shit,'_ he thought. He was glad that he'd been mock fighting with Grimmjow when the bluenet had been in his resurrected form or this would not have been fun. He took a step back as the Reiatsu around him changed.

Rukia was fighting now.

Green eyes looked onto the now many armed Espada in front off him. The guy was clearly a close combat fighter with his four scythe-like weapons. Now Link wasn't dumb enough to get close to that man. He moved back. This fight was over. What he was about to do would take quite a lot out of him though. **_"Sayōnara, Espada-sama,"_** he said.

Ichigo looked up at the big sand dome in front of him. **_"Why the hell would you go on your own?"_** he said angrily. He had given up trying to get in by now. Sado was lying by his feet, bleeding out slowly. He had tried his best to stop the bleeding, but the wound was deep. His eyes widened as the sand dome shrank. Blood seeped out on the sand slowly. **_"Rinku,"_** Ichigo said.

A swirl of sand rose next to him. "Shit, that didn't turn out as expected," Link said as he took form. He fell down on his knees. "Now how many times did Grimmjow tell you not to underestimate the fucking Espada? You are an idiot Link," he felt a hand land on his shoulder. He looked up at a somewhat concerned Ichigo. **_"I'm O.K. just a bit low on Reiryoku,"_** he said. **_"Will you help me over to him so I can make certain he doesn't die?"_** He motioned to the injured brunet.

Ichigo nodded. He grabbed a hold on the blonde's arm and pulled him up on his feet. Placing the man's arm over his shoulders, he helped him over to his friend and let him back down.

Glowing hands reached out over the brunet's chest. **_"You should get going again, Ichigo-kun,"_** he said. **_"I'll take care of Sado. You go find Inoue."_**

Ichigo clenched his fists. He turned away from his comrades and started walking.

* * *

Grimmjow picked up his speed. It irritated the hell out off him that this place was so huge. There weren't that many of them living there. He Sonído-ed again. Hoping that Tier would listen to him, he landed on one of the balconies in the big lit-up dome that was Las Noches. **_"Hariberu!"_** he called as he entered the room beyond the balcony. He reached out as a blade came flying his way. He caught the broadsword and looked over towards the wielder. **_"Tsk, tsk, Mira Rōzu is that any way to treat a guest,"_** he said. He saw how the dark skinned brunette's green eyes widened as she recognised him.

**_"_****_Jagājakku-sama,"_** she said breathlessly. She lifted her sword away from the man before straightening. **_"An uninvited guest can only expect to be attacked upon coming here Jagājakku," _**she said. She moved her sword ready to attack once more.

**_"_****_That is enough Furanchesuka!"_** A busty blond stepped into the room. Bright green eyes scanned the man before her from under thick lashes. As far as she knew the bluenet had been disposed off after failing to please Aizen. Yet, here he was. In prime condition none the less. He even seemed stronger somehow… her eyes widened momentarily. **_"You have mated,"_** she stated.

The bluenet smirked. **_"Tch, yeah I got myself a bitch," _**he said.

Harribel raised an eyebrow. **_"And you mate doesn't mind being spoken off in such a condemning manner, I take it," _**she said. If someone was to call her a bitch she would cut their head off without blinking.

Grimmjow shrugged. **_"You'd have to ask him if you want an answer you'd accept,"_** he said. **_"I somehow doubt you'd take my word for it."_** He walked in closer to the woman.

**_"_****_So where is he, or have you looked him up somewhere Jagājakku?"_** the shortest of Harribel's Fracción asked softly.

He turned towards her. **_"Yeah, right cause he'd let me do that, Sunsun,"_** he said. **_"He's down there somewhere herding the humans that are invading or whatever,"_** he said and motioned towards the dunes inside Las Noches.

Harribel's eyes narrowed. **_"Are you betraying us Gurimujō? Helping those measly humans into Las Noches,"_** she said her hand travelling towards her sword.

Grimmjow grimaced. **_"I was hoping you wouldn't take it that way," _**he said. **_"I'm going to fight Aizen because the fucker deserves being thrown off his high horses… but I would rather not have to fight you."_** He sighed and looked outside. **_"I would prefer if you would join us…"_** he said. **_"Bring back the true order of Hueco Mundo… Cast the Shinigami out from our lands… You know that they don't care about the Submissives, Hariberu,"_** He turned towards her once more. **_"That man is going to attack the humans and for what… what do we gain from his idiotic ideas?"_** he asked. **_"My mate made me realise a lot of things. He has shown me that something has to be done…"_**

A Reiatsu could be felt across the sand.

**_"_****_Noitora,"_** Harribel said.

Grimmjow nodded. **_"He was one of the Arrancar that ganged up on me… They beat the crap out off me and threw me to the sands,"_** he said, fire burning in his eyes. His hand clenched in longing for his sword. **_"Aizen ordered it. He said something about 'such a hot headed pawn being of no use to him'."_**

Then the Reiatsu suddenly disappeared.

**_"_****_What the…"_** Mila Rose said. She walked out on the balcony and looked around. **_"What happened?"_** she asked.

**_"_****_Rinku, my mate, must have done something,"_** Grimmjow said. He hoped that the blond would be alright. Nnoitra was not an easy enemy to fight. He turned back to Harribel and held a hand out. **_"You are not the only one we'll try to convince Hariberu, but you are the first. Some of the Espada will have to go and you know it."_** He clenched his jaw. He didn't actually know what else to say. He was so close to begging that it made him nauseous. Link would have had a much easier time with the blond than him, and he knew it.

The bluenet jerked as he felt a faint shadow of his mate's Reiatsu. _'Pantera,' _he thought desperately.

_'__He is fine Grimmjow. Not a scratch on him. But his power level is a bit low,'_ Pantera said.

Grimmjow breathed out in relief. He knew that the women in the room most likely couldn't feel the Twili-hybrid so Link was safe … for now.

Harribel watched the bluenet as his eyes darted to the sand outside. His expression was worried for a moment before it calmed down, and he let out a sigh. She assumed that he'd felt his mate. There were very few things that would make a powerful dominant nervous, but their submissive's health was one of them. She walked up next to him. The man was right. Aizen had done nothing for the submissives of Hueco Mundo. She had only joined the man to protect her girls. But if they joined together now… **_"We will join you, Gurimujō. Let us draw our blades together and rid our world of these men,"_** she said. Her girls looked over to her. She knew that they would join her no matter what she chose to do.

**_"_****_Arigatou, Hariberu," _**Grimmjow said.**_ "I do not know what Aizen has planned…"_** He looked down at her. **_"But I'm heading for Sutāku next."_**

**_"_****_Send him over once you're done and we'll deal with keeping the Shinigami in check,"_** she said.

Grimmjow nodded. He walked back out on the balcony and disappeared.

**_"_****_Do you really think this is a good idea Hariberu-sama?"_** Sung-Sun asked.

Harribel looked over at the calmest of her girls. **_"Hai, Sunsun. I believe this is the right path to take,"_** she said. **_"It is time we fight for what we believe in." _**She walked back deeper into their living quarters. Her girls followed not far behind her.

…

"Yo! Stark!" "Lilynette, huh? Leave me alone…" "Ah! Don't sleep!" "Gohuu!"

"Wake up, wake up, come on, come on, come on!" "Quit you bastard not my balls! Oguuh!"

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. It seemed like Lilynette was just as active as usual. _'And Starrk is just as lazy as he always is,'_ he thought. At least he could speak French with those two. He placed a hand against the door leading into their personal rooms.

"Aaroniero was beaten," Lilynette said softly.

"I know," Starrk said.

"… Is that really alright?"

"Who the fuck cares about that slime," Grimmjow said as he pushed the door open and walked inside.

The little green-haired girl turned to face him. "Grimmjow," she said surprised.

"Hey kiddo," Grimmjow said. He walked up to her and placed a hand on top of her helmet-like Hollow mask. "How are you doing?" he raised an eyebrow as the girl punched him… hard. "You are going to have to do better than that if you want something to happen Lily," he said. He turned to Starrk. "We are breaking free of the Shinigami… Harribel and her girls. Me and my mate. Hopefully Granz and Cifer as well," he said. "We're making a pack. Do you want to join?" He held a hand out to the man.

Starrk looked up at the bluenet. Lilynette had not been happy when the feline had simply disappeared from Hueco Mundo. She had spent days out in the desert looking for him.

"You have a mate?" the green-haired girl asked.

Grimmjow looked down at her. "Oui, I have a mate. You guys would like him," he said. "He can turn into a wolf."

Starrk's eyes widened. Another wolf. He reached out and grabbed the bluenet's outstretched hand. "We're in," he said. He didn't wish to fight, but he would … to get a real pack he would fight. "You have grown stronger," he said.

Grimmjow snorted. "Yeah, mating does that to you. And he's completely impossible to deal with. Drives me insane…" He looked down at Lilynette. "But I can't imagine life without him now." He froze. _'Shit,'_ he thought. That wasn't good. "I have to go," he said. "Harribel wants you to join her as soon as possible. She had some plan or another concerning Aizen in mind." He didn't stay to get an answer. He didn't have time.


	22. The Enemy of Thy Enemy is Thy Friend

**The Enemy of Thy Enemy is Thy Friend**

BOOOOOOM!

**_"_****_Gurimujō…!"_**

The bluenet ignored the girl. She was unimportant. He walked forward. He would need the orange-haired woman. As he recalled it Aizen had been interested in her because she had some strange kind of healing ability.

The dark haired female in the rushed towards him and he grabbed her by the hair, kneeing her in the stomach. She was a submissive so he wouldn't kill her out off respect for Harribel. That didn't change the fact that she was in his way and probably wouldn't just step out off his way. He raised the hand he was holding her with and sent her flying towards a wall. The second girl came running towards him her fist ready to strike. He caught the hand and broke the wrist before grabbing her by the head and slamming her into the nearest wall. They would wake up soon enough.

He walked up to … Inoue was her name right? and lifted her up by the front of her shirt. **_"You're gonna accompany me on an errand,"_** he said harshly. He moved placed her down on the floor once more. **_"Fix up your face. I'm not interested in carting around girls with smashed-up faces. So fix it, now."_**

The girl was about to dash over to the female Arrancar in the room, but he stopped her. **_"They are fine on'na, now fix yourself up!"_** he growled. He looked off in the distance. _'Just stay put,'_ he thought.

A soft orange light surrounded the girl for a few seconds. When it disappeared, Grimmjow barely gave the girl time to realise what was going on before he had picked her up and carried her off.

Moving fast across the sand of Las Noches, the bluenet hoped he wasn't too late. He landed in one of the towers. One side had been completely blown out. There was rocks and rubble everywhere. He walked up to the unconscious body, dropping the woman he was holding as he kneeled down. There was a faint presence of Reiatsu still there. Grabbing the teen's shoulders, he turned the boy around. A dark hole was present in the dirty chest.

He reached out and pulled the cloth he'd placed over the woman off. He'd put it there in the first place to keep Aizen from noticing what was going on.

**_"_****_Ku…Kuro…saki…kun…"_** the girl stammered in shock.

Grimmjow stood up. **_"Fix him,"_** he ordered.

The girl turned to him. Her eyes filled with confusion, fear, and surprise. **_"What happened here?"_** she asked as she turned back to the oranget.

**_"_****_Does it matter on'na, just fix him,"_** Grimmjow said irritably. Why was he doing this again? Oh, yeah, his mate liked the orange-haired kid. That was why.

Orihime looked back down at Ichigo. Her hands were shaking as she lifted them. **_"Sōten Kisshun watashi wa kyozetsu suru," _**she said and an orange dome appeared around the oranget's battered body.

Grimmjow sat there watching the girl. They needed to gather together. He wanted to see that Link was alright with his own eyes.

**_"… _****_Who would do such a thing?"_** the girl asked.

Grimmjow scoffed. **_"It's Urukiora. It's what he does. I'm not sure if he even realises it, but whenever he takes an interest in his prey, he always punches a hole in the exact same location as his own,"_** he said in a bored tone.

**_"_****_Ugh…"_** Ichigo blinked. _'Fuck, I feel like shit,'_ he thought as his eyes focused once more. What the hell had happened? Oh, right Ulquiorra had beaten the crap out off him. He reached up and touched between his collarbones. **_"Inoue..?"_** he said confused as he realised that the girl was sitting there.

**_"_****_Kurosaki-kun…!"_** Orihime said happily.

Steps sounded through the small room. **_"Shut the hell up. If you have time to talk, then hurry up and fix him!"_** Grimmjow hissed at Inoue. They really didn't have time for chitchat right now.

Ichigo's brows furrowed. **_"Gurimujō why are you with Inoue?"_** he asked.

Grimmjow growled. **_"Just shut the fuck up and get healed. We have got things to do you and I,"_** he said.

**_"_****_Gurimujō! So that's the reason why you're making me fix…"_**

**_"_****_SHUT UP I SAID! I took you here so you could fix the guy who was almost dead. Now stop complaining. Just hurry up before Urukiora realizes what's going on and comes back!"_** he fell silent. It was too late. He turned around. **_"Just fix him on'na,"_** he said as he walked up closer to the Cuatro. **_"Urukiora,"_** he said darkly.

**_"_****_What are you doing here? Gurimujō…"_** the stoic man asked he received no response. **_"What's wrong? I'm talking to you. How did you get back here?"_** He looked over to the humans. **_"And why are you healing the wounds of an enemy I defeated?"_** He waited for an answer but none came. **_"…No response? Very well then."_** He reached for his sword.

**_"_****_Whoever said he was an enemy,"_** Grimmjow said, stopping the empty eyed man in his tracks. **_"He is here to fight Aizen… I'm here to fight Aizen… My enemy's enemy is my friend right."_** Behind him he could hear the girl gasp.

**_"…_****_What did you say?"_** Ulquiorra asked.

**_"_****_What's the matter? You've got a lot to say today, don't you, Urukiora!"_** Grimmjow said. **_"I said I'm here to kick Aizen's ass."_**

Ulquiorra was in all honesty confused. Apart form the fact that Grimmjow had disappeared after he had invaded the human world without permission, the man was far to calm. The bluenet wasn't acting the way he remembered, and there was something off with his Reiatsu.

Then the humanoid feline disappeared. Ulquiorra's hand closed over the hilt of his sword. A hand landed on his shoulder. **_"Let's go for a ride Urukiora,"_** Grimmjow whispered in his ear. Heat spread out around them and then they were gone.

Orihime turned to Ichigo. **_"Kurosaki-kun… what is going on?"_** she asked.

Ichigo shrugged. **_"Gurimujō is helping us," _**he said. **_"Will you please heal me so I can go after them, Inoue?"_** he asked.

…

Grimmjow stumbled back coughing. _'How the hell does he manage that without burning himself up?'_ he wondered. Flaring had never been his favourite mode of transportation, but it worked better than a Sonído for what he had wanted. And, it also served to confuse his opponent. He drew Pantera. Just like Link he was not going to be holding back. He was done talking and boasting. It just led to defeat. Holding his sword out in front of him, he placed his left hand on the blade and stroked it as he called out, **_"Kishire Pantera."_**

Ulquiorra's eyes widened as the feline's Reiatsu swept over him. His fist clenched as he saw the man's Resurrección. It had changed; gone was the long flowing hair. The mask that had once been like a headband now looked more like the top of a half-mask with the area beneath the eyes jagged and broken. It moved back with the green markings that led from the man's eyes to his ears, holing his shoulder long hair out off his face.

Grimmjow smirked. **_"Yo,"_** he said. He disappeared form view.

Slash

Ulquiorra was thrown forward by the force of the strike. He recovered quickly and drew his sword, slashing at the bluenet when he came charging once more.

Grimmjow chuckled as he grabbed the blade with one hand and used it as leverage to aim a kick at the Cuatro's head. **_"Not good enough Urukiora," _**he hissed. He did a backflip and landed a couple of feet away from the raven-haired Espada. His eyes shone manically as he spun around, caught the other's Cero and sent it back at him.

Smoke rose from the dome roof.

**_"_****_Tozase Murushierago,"_** Ulquiorra's voice drifted though the air.

**_"_****_Finally,"_** Grimmjow said with a smirk. He knew that Aizen was controlling the other, but if he could get the Cuatro to unleash his true powers then… the man should be able to break free from the spell.

Dash ... ... ... Slash ... ... ... Duck ... ... ... Slash ... ... ... **_"Cero!"_**

Slash ... ... ... Duck **_"Rusu de ra Runa!"_**

"Shit," Grimmjow said as he jumped back to avoid the solid Reishi javelin that the Cuatro had aimed at him. The spear flew past him and crashed into the solid white dome beneath their feet. It left a hole that probably when through the entire dome down into Las Noches. The bluenet moved forward once more. He wasn't about to stop attacking.

**_"_****_Getsuga Tenshō!"_**

Grimmjow spun out of the way and did a backflip. **_"Finally here, huh, Kurosaki,"_** he said. He turned to the orange-haired Shinigami Daikō. **_"Took your sweet time."_**

**_"_****_Well you know Inoue wouldn't stop worrying,"_** Ichigo said. His sword was already in its Bankai state where it lay over his right shoulder. **_"We're fighting him full force, right?"_** he asked the bluenet his hand rising towards his face.

**_"_****_Hai,"_** Grimmjow answered. He saw how darkness gathered in the oranget's hand as he swept it over his face. Once it had settled Ichigo was wearing a white Hollow mask with red lines spreading out over the left side of it. The boy's eyes had changed as well. They were yellow now and his sclera was black.

**_"_****_Let's fight,"_** the teen said his voice distorted like it was travelling through running water.

Together they moved forward to face their enemy.

* * *

Link lifted his head. Someone had arrived. He rose to his feet as a group of Arrancar appeared before him. He had instinctively hidden himself with the help of the sand around him. He doubted they'd seen him before he disappeared.

**_"_****_They both have some life left in them,"_** the leader of the Arracar said. He pulled his katana from its sheath slowly. **_"I will commence the harvest."_** He moved forwards heading for the Arrancar that Sado had been fighting first. But then… he stopped. **_"Who are you?"_** he asked.

**_"_****_Yonbantai Taichō Unohana Retsu of the Gotei 13,"_** a calm female voice said.

**_"_****_Fukutaichō Kotetsu Isane same squad,"_** another female said.

**_"_****_Taichō …!"_** the Arrancar sounded almost surprised.

**_"_****_We have only come to heal everyone's injuries. We have no intention of fighting with you,"_** Unohana said.

The Arrancar sheathed his sword once more. **_"We're withdrawing,"_** he told the ones he had with him.

**_"_****_Wai…"_**

**_"_****_Isane."_**

The girl stopped. She looked back at her Taichō somewhat confused.

**_"_****_We will not give chase to those who leave the battlefield,"_** Unohana said. She turned towards the shapes laying in the sand. **_"Now then…let us heal both Sado-san and that Arrancar."_**

Isane's eyes widened momentarily. Then she followed her Taichō. **_"Hai,"_** she said.

**_"_****_You wouldn't mind helping me when you're done with them would you Taichō-san,"_** Link said as he made himself visible once more. _**"I'd like to get back out on the battlefield, but in my current condition I'm not of much use to anyone."**_

Unohana looked over at the blond youth that now stood before her. She'd never seen anything like him. The young man's clothes were foreign with his green tunic torn so that it didn't cover his left shoulder, and white soft pants stuck down in knee-high brown boots. His pale skin was littered in jade markings that glowed faintly even in the bright light surrounding them. In his left hand he held a metal staff covered in the same kind of markings that flowed over his body. The boy turned his head and she noticed how his ears were long and pointed. He was obviously not a human. But neither was he an Arrancar. She fell down on her knees next to Sado. **_"What is your name young one?"_** she asked calmly.

**_"_****_Yoarashi Rinku,"_** Link said as he walked forward slowly. He sat down on the opposite side of the brunet. **_"I have worked to keep them alive but there was too much damage done for me to heal them completely,"_** he said.

**_"_****_Isane would you help Yoarashi-san please? He doesn't need much work,"_** Unohana said as she raised her hands to start her own treatment of Sado.

**_"_****_Hai, Unohana-taichō,"_** Isane said. She moved up behind Link and sat down.

Drojalam!

**_"_****_Hey Midona,"_** Link said. He could feel the surprise of the woman behind him. As he hands stopped in whatever movement they had been up to.

**_"_****_Hey, Rinku,"_** she looked at the two women. "Have you decided to start a harem or something?" she asked.

Link snorted. **_"Midona,"_** he said sternly. **_"This is Unohana-taichō and Kotetsu-fukutaichō of the Gotei 13."_** He turned to Unohana. **_"This is Midona-hime of Kage no Sekai,"_** he introduced the imp.

**_"_****_So what's been going on then?"_** Midna asked.

Link rolled his eyes before sighing. At least his story would let the two women know what was going on as well.

…

Link stood up slowly his eyes distant. **_"There is somewhere I need to go,"_** he said. **_"I can't allow for Kurotsuchi-taichō to kill the Espada he is fighting. I will do my best not to cause him too much harm."_**

Unohana bowed her head. **_"As you see fit,"_** she said, knowing that Kurotsuchi was not an easy man to kill. The young man's story had been interesting to listen to, and she smiled a small smile when she remembered Isane's expression at being sent away as the boy was narrating.

Link moved swiftly. _'They really are good healers, those Shinigami,'_ he thought. He was glad that he'd infused the people that he'd initially entered Las Noches with some of his own magic. They were so much easier to find that way. _'Holy shit, that's big,'_ he thought as he saw a giant… baby…centipede? Well he wasn't sure what it was, but he doubted it was any good. It was descending onto a rather panicked looking pink-haired Espada.

Link flared. **_"Release your Resurrección now, I can't cover us both otherwise,"_** he told the Octava.

Szayel took a step back in surprise. A scent spread to his nose from the man in front of him and he made a split second decision.

The gigantic yellow baby head slammed down capturing them in its mouth.

Link looked up at the taller man he was standing next to over his shoulder. He reached out and placed a hand against the hard rock wall he had erected around them. **_"Wise decision Espada-sama,"_** he said. The glow from the Twili markings on his skin lit the small space allowing for the two of them to see.

Szayel reached out and grabbed the blonde's chin. He forced the boy to turn around to face him properly. **_"You smell like Gurimujō,"_** he stated. **_"Yet I have never seen anything like you before."_**

**_"_****_I'm Gurimujō's bitch,"_** Link said unconcerned. **_"And as for what I am there is most likely no one like me in the entire universe. I'm a mix between three races from three different worlds, and that doesn't count what I have gained from being mated to Gurimujō."_**

Szayel ran his thumb down the boy's cheek. **_"Interesting,"_** he said. A crushing noise reached their ears. **_"But now is not the time to look deeper into it."_** They started moving upwards. **_"What is going on…?"_**

**_"_****_Hold on Espada-sama. I don't care what's going. I'm not staying here,"_** Link said as he reached out with an arm. The markings on his skin turned orange as heat rushed over them, and then they were gone.

They landed some way away from the Shinigami. Link turned around and looked up at the pink-haired man. **_"You should get healed up and join the Primera and Tres… unless you're planning on fighting on Aizen's side of course,"_** he said.

Szayel smirked. **_"We're breaking free from the Shinigami scum then,"_** he said. He had never really liked Aizen. The man was arrogant to come here and think that he knew everything there was to know about them. **_"I've been feeling Gurimujō lately. He's fighting together with a Shinigami,"_** he looked up at the fake blue sky.

**_"_****_Hai,"_** Link said. **_"He says we're making a pack. The Alpha pack of Hueco Mundo."_**

Szayel nodded. **_"I will see you on the true battlefield strange one,"_** he said. He turned around and Sonído-ed away.

Link snorted. _'Well that wasn't so hard,' _he thought. He looked over to the Shinigami. His brows narrowed as he saw Renji cough up blood. _'That's not healthy,' _he noted. He moved forward.

**_"_****_Developed antibodies?' Preventing that from happening is called skill,"_** Kurotsuchi said.

**_"_****_Whatever, just hand over the antidote, quickly!"_** Ishida cried desperately.

**_"_****_Heavens you're loud,"_** Link said as he landed next to the raven. He placed his palms against the teen's chest and focused his magic. His hands started glowing.

Ishida sat there staring at the man in surprise. "**_Where did you come from?"_** he asked. He noticed how his chest and damaged organs stopped hurting a soothing feeling spread from the blonde's hands.

**_"_****_Didn't I tell you that I would keep track of when you met an Espada,"_** Link said. **_"I got hold up after killing the Quinto though so I couldn't come here until now. I'm sorry about that."_**

**_"_****_You killed one of them?"_** Renji asked shocked.

**_"_****_Hai,"_** the blond said and stood up. **_"There I'm done with you,"_** he told Ishida. He moved over to the redhead and kneeled down. **_"Hm."_** His brows furrowed. _'Healing a Shinigami is not the same as healing a human or a Hollow,'_ he noted. He tilted his head as his eyes narrowed. He knew that the very air of Hueco Mundo was filled with Reishi. Maybe he could use that. Normally he wouldn't have considered it, but after getting healed by Kotetsu, he wondered if he couldn't learn how to utilize it. Focusing on the feeling he'd had when he had been healed, he channelled his magic through that …filter? maybe that was the correct word.

Link stood up once he'd healed the redhead. "There now you should be able to get back at it," he said. He cast a glance over at the Jūnibantai-taichō. **_"Don't even try it Taichō-sama… I'm not going to become one of your little experiments,"_** he said darkly.

**_"_****_Ahh, but that would indicate that you had a choice in the matter. Such an interesting little specimen you would make,"_** Kurotsuchi said as he made his Bankai turn around.

**_"_****_Oh, but I do Taichō-sama,"_** Link said. He had felt the presence of one of the Espada nearby… and it wasn't one he had met before. **_"This one is going to cause us problems Espada-sama. Would you send him away from here please,"_** he asked the Arrancar.

A rip in space appeared behind the scientist, and before he knew what was going on he was pushed back into it.

The rip closed and a tall brunet came into existence next to the blond. **_"Hariberu wants to see you,"_** he said before covering up a wide yawn. He looked down at the boy next to him. He could smell the wolf that lay just beneath the surface, and it made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He received a nod from the young wolf. Reaching out, he grabbed the young one's arm and Sonído-ed them away.

**_"_****_What the hell just happened?"_** Renji asked.

But there was no one there who could answer him.

* * *

Grimmjow stumbled back. **_"Oh, come on,"_** he hissed. He threw himself out off the way of another Getsuga. He knew that Ulquiorra was hard pushed, and no matter how tuff the Espada thought he was, he couldn't possibly keep up with both his and Kurosaki's attacks much longer.

The bluenet took a deep breath and centred himself as he slashed out with his claws creating ten long glowing blades. **_"Desugaron,"_** he murmured before hurling the ten blades at the raven-haired Espada.

The blue light hit the Cuatro Espada dead on, and smoke rose from the white dome.

Ichigo landed next to him. **_"Did you just … kill him?" _**he asked. **_"I thought you wanted him alive…" _**His voice carried with it an accusing tone. He was about to open his mouth again when the bluenet raise a hand to silence him.

**_"_****_Can you finally see the truth Urukiora?" _**he called out. **_"I pushed you and pushed you so that you would break free of his control… can you remember now?" _**the last part was barely more than a whisper.

The smoke cleared slowly.

Dull yellow eyes looked up at the bluenet. Dust rose around clawed black feet as the man charged forward. A black furred hand closed around the feline's neck.

**_"_****_Gurimujō!"_** Ichigo cried out. He moved his sword in a cutting motion, trying his best to avoid the bluenet. His sword was caught in a clawed black hand.

"It's been a long time Gatito…."

_It was raining heavily. A young boy was stumbling through unforgiving streets. Hot red blood trailed behind him as he walked. It was washed away by the rain, leaving no trace behind. A loud cough escaped the boy. He stumbled and fell to the ground. _

_"__Now what do we have here?" a rough voice said. _

_The boy got back up on his feet slowly. His tousled blond hair hung down over his eyes. He knew that the man in front of him was dangerous. He knew what men like him did to kids. He backed away and pain shot up his legs from his injured feet. _

_The man reached out and grabbed him by the scruff of his dirty shirt. _

_"__Me laisser aller," the boy cried as he aimed a kick at the man's calf. _

_"__A feisty little one, huh? With a good clean up ya could make old Claude a lot of money," the man said. "Argh, fuck you little shit I'll teach ya not to do that."_

_The boy had bitten the man and was currently running as fast as his little feet would carry him. He turned a corner. "Omph," he was thrown back. His clear-blue eyes angled up before him stood a man with shoulder-long black hair. He was wearing a long white trench coat, the collar turned up. His head turned down to look at the boy that had bumped into him. _

_Blue eyes met green. _

_Behind the boy Claude came huffing around the corner. "There ya're ya little shit na come here with ya so…"_

_"__Excusez-moi mais que pensez-vous que tu fais?" the raven-haired man asked his pronunciation was a bit off but he easily got his message across. _

_"__I'ma just getting ma boy back home. It ain't none of yaur concerne mister," Claude said with a broken smile. _

_"__I'm not your boy you filthy street rat," the small blond boy said angrily as he stood up. _

_"__Careful there young one," the raven said as the boy stumbled. He had reached out to catch the youngling. _

_"__Let go I don't need you help," the boy hissed. He pulled himself away from the man roughly. He stumbled again and landed in the dirty water running down the alley. His head was swimming. He must have hit it as he fell. _

_Through the tears in his eyes and the falling rain, he could see a blurry image unfolding before him. _

_The shadowy figure of the old man moved forward, towards him, but he was stopped by the white clad man. A sharp sound made its way through the haze in his head._

_._

_._

_Blue eyes blinked open slowly. Warm light filled his vision. Warmth surrounded him. He was lying beneath something soft. _

_"__Finally awake are you Gatito."_

_The boy turned where he sat. The raven haired man was standing behind him. "I told you I didn't need your help!" he hissed. He threw the blanket he was lying under off. He was about to place his feet on the floor when he was pushed back. _

_"__You're in no condition to move Gatito stay where you are…"_

"You wouldn't stay put," Ulquiorra said.

Grimmjow shook his head. "I was a stubborn kid," he said.

"Like that has changed any," Ulquiorra chuckled. He backed away as Grimmjow let go of Tensa Zangetsu.

**_"_****_We should go join the others,"_** Grimmjow said using Japanese this time.


	23. Surprise, Surprise!

**Surprise, Surprise!**

Ishida ran up to Orihime. **_"Inoue-san are you alright?"_** he called

The orange-haired girl turned around. **_"Ishida-kun, Renji-san,"_** she said surprised.

**_"_****_Hey guys is everyone alright?"_**

They turned. Rukia came running towards them.

**_"_****_Tch, this is boring… not a single enemy to fight."_**

**_"_****_Kenpachi-taichō,"_** Rukia said as she spun on the spot to face the blood-thirsty man.

The air changed. A brown haired man showed up from nowhere. He wore a jawbone around his neck signalling to the people around him that he was an Arrancar. **_"Sorry,"_** he said. **_"Truth is, I don't like doing troublesome things like this."_** He looked over to the others. **_"I'm going to borrow her for a bit,"_** he said.

**_"_****_Inoue!"_** Ichigo roared as he came sailing through the air. His sword slashed through thin air where the Espada had stood.

**_"_****_Fuck,"_** he exclaimed. He looked over at the others noting the newly arrived Taichō as well. **_"Is everyone else alright?"_** he asked concerned.

**_"_****_Damn it Ichigo don't worry about us now. The Espada just kidnapped Orihime,"_** Rukia said angrily.

**_"_****_CAN YOU HEAR ME? MEMBERS OF THE INTRUDING FORCES!"_** Aizen's voice travelled through the air.

Ichigo looked up to the sky. **_"Aizen,"_** he hissed angrily.

**_"_****_ALLOW ME TO FIRST CONVEY MY RESPECT FOR HAVING FELLED SO MANY OF THE ESPADA… MORE IMPORTANTLY WE WILL NOW COMMENCE OUR INVASION OF THE HUMAN WORLD!"_**

**_"_****_What!?" _**Ichigo exclaimed. His eyes darted over to his friends.

**_"_****_I AM PLACING INOUE ORIHIME IN TOWER NO. 5 IF YOU'D LIKE TO RESCUE HER, COME AND TAKE HER BACK. SHE IS NO LONGER OF ANY USE TO ME," _**Aizen said.

**_"_****_No…use..!?" _**Renji said confused.

**_"_****_HER ABILITY IS AWE-INSPIRING. THE 'REJECTION OF EVENTS' IS A POWER THAT FAR EXCEEDS THE REALM OF WHAT IS PERMITTED TO HUMANS. THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF SOUL SOCIETY UNDERSTOOD THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS ABILITY, AND THAT IS WHY HER ABDUCTION SERVED AS A MEANS OF ELECTING SUCH A SENSE OF CRISIS IN SOUL SOCIETY THAT THEY WOULD STRENGTHEN THEIR OWN DEFENCES RATHER THAN THOSE OF THE HUMAN WORLD. SHE WAS ALSO THE BAIT TO LURE THE RYOKA, INCLUDING SOUL SOCIETY'S NEW MILITARY ASSET, THE SHINIGAMI DAIKŌ TO HUECO MUNDO."_**

**_"_****_Damn him,"_** Rukia hissed.

**_"_****_MOREOVER, I HAVE SUCCEEDED IN IMPRISONING TH HUECO MUNDO THE FOUR CAPTAINS WHO CAME TO REINFORCE THEM."_**

All of the Garganta closed at once.

**_"_****_THE WONDERFUL THING ABOUT THE GOTEI 13 IS THE FACT THAT THE THIRTEEN CAPTAINS HOLD THE POWER THAT SERVES AS THE PRIMARY MILITARY STRENGTH OF SOUL SOCIETY, BUT NOW THREE HAVE DEFECTED AND FOUR ARE IMPRISONED. AS NUMBERS HAVE IT, SOUL SOCIETY'S MILITARY STRENGTH HAS BEEN HALVED. THIS WILL BE TOO EASY. WE WILL ANNIHILATE KARAKURA TOWN, CREATE THE ROYAL KEY, CONQUER SOUL SOCIETY AND THEN WHEN THAT IS ALL OVER WITH, WE WILL DEAL WITH YOU AT OUR LEISURE!"_**

Ichigo's eyes widened. _'No,'_ he though. He was about to leave when a voice stopped him.

**_"_****_Jeez, I though he was never gonna shut up!"_**

Ichigo turned around. **_"Rinku,"_** he said.

The blond winked at him. His green gaze then turned to the rest of them. **_"I hope that you're up for a fight because this one will be one hell of a battle, guys,"_** he said. **_"Anyone who wants to beat the crap out off Aizen follow me."_**

* * *

…**_ DEAL WITH YOU AT OUR LEISURE!"_**

The Garganta Aizen was about to walk through closed in his face.

**_"_****_Did you really think we'd just let you leave Aizen?"_**

The brunet turned around. The space at the bottom of the stairs where he'd last seen Inoue Orihime was empty. So was the rest of the hall.

**_"_****_You thought that having your pets beat the crap out of me would keep me from coming back here,"_** Grimmjow said as he stepped out from the shadows. His head bent with one hand on his sword and one hanging loosely by his side.

**_"_****_Foolish cat,"_** Aizen chuckled. **_"What do you think you can do? You're merely a bump in the road that is all."_**

**_"_****_Please allow me Aizen-sama,"_** Tōsen said respectfully. The man moved forward swiftly, drawing his blade as he did so.

**_"_****_Do you want this one?"_** Grimmjow asked.

At first Aizen couldn't understand who the man was talking to. Who would be foolish enough to go against him? And then… Ulquiorra stepped out from behind the bluenet.

The two Espada drew their swords. **_"Tozase Murushierago." "Kishire Pantera."_**

…

In the Human World a group of Shinigami awaited their enemy. They were expecting the three Shinigami that had betrayed them.

When a Garganta finally opened and an old man stepped through, they were confused. What was Aizen up to? What was he planning?

Baraggan looked out over the Shinigami. Then he turned his head to look to his left and then his right. **_"Now where are the others, hmm?"_** he asked.

**_"_****_Have fun with the Shinigami, Baraggan,"_** a female voice said from behind his little group.

**_"_****_Harribel, what are you….?"_**

The Garganta closed.

…

**_"_****_Don't worry little human,"_** Starrk said as he put Orihime down. **_"We'll deal with this."_** He held out a hand. **_"Ririnetto let's go join the others,"_** he said.

A young green-haired girl walked up to him. "Do I get to meet loup-san after that?" she asked.

Starrk yawned. "Sure whatever," he said.

The girl looked put out but she did join up with the brunet man. **_"Kechirase Rosu Robosu,"_** the man said and the girl's body shimmered and changed as the man's clothes did the same.

Then he was gone.

…

Grimmjow jumped out of the way as Gin's blade tore through the air next to him.

**_"_****_Ma ma, neko-san. You have improved,"_** the silver-haired man said.

Grimmjow's eyes narrowed to slits and he hissed menacingly. Then he spun his body in a wide circle, catching one of Ulquiorra's javelins and throwing it at the man.

**_"_****_Kubire Torepadōram."_**

Grimmjow was forced away from the snake-like Shinigami by a set of tentacles.

…

Link picked his speed up. And then his path was blocked by the same Arrancar that had come to take Sado's life earlier. **_"We don't have time for these punks,"_** he called back. **_"Rukia, Renji and Sado, welcome back, please deal with these idiots."_**

No one really knew why they listened to the blond. But in a battle it was easiest to listen to the one who seemed to know what he was doing. Though, Kenpachi just wanted a good fight and those enemies seemed rather weak to him.

**_"_****_Here we are,"_** Link said as they reached on of the many towers. He pointed his staff to the solid wall and shook it slightly. The wall before them blew out with a BOOM.

…

Grimmjow rammed his had through the feminine Arrancar's chest. **_"Pathetic," _**he said. **_"That they chose you to replace me just shows how low they have fallen."_**

Lavender eyes lost the shine of life as Luppi fell to the floor.

BOOM

**_"_****_Getsuga Tenshō!"_**

Grimmjow acted on instinct as he raised his hand his palm bleeding. **_"Gran Rey Cero!" _**he called out as the blue ball of Reishi left his hand.

The two forces of Reishi headed straight for Aizen.

Grimmjow didn't stand still to see what happened though. He was moving once more, heading towards Tōsen. He did a 180 as he came closer and sent of five bombs at the blind man, before firing off a Cero at Gin.

Ulquiorra gathered his Reiryoku and activated his Segunda Etapa. He looked up at Grimmjow for just a second when…

A sword tore through the bluenet's body.

**_"Now, now Grimmjow-san don't look so surprised,"_** Aizen said calmly. He pulled his blade back out of the man's body and shook the blood off as the bluenet fell to the floor in a heap. Blood spread out over white marble slowly.

"Grimmjow," Ulquiorra roared as he cast himself forward. He created a javelin as he furiously charged up to the Shinigami. "Mourir!" he hissed as he slashed the glowing staff at the man. He moved out of the way as the brunet countered.

Slash ... ... ... ... Duck ... ... ... ... Slash

Smack

Ulquiorra groaned.

**_"_****_It is such a shame that you would do this Cuatro-san. I had high hopes in you,"_** Aizen said as he increased the pressure on the raven's chest. **_"Unfortunately for you I do not condone treachery."_** He held a hand out ready to cast one form of Kido or another when he felt pain shoot through his chest.

…

Gin tightened his grip on his Zanpakutō. Should he help them or… His hatred for Aizen ran deep, but if this didn't work out for them then he would need to grab the chance to kill the man at a later date. He watched as the brunet killed Grimmjow and how Ulquiorra attacked the man in rage only to be beaten down. He threw Kurosaki back once more casting a glance back at the brunet. His eyes actually opened in surprise when a watery shape formed behind the man. The shape took form slowly and a long clawed hand rose and punched straight through the brunet's chest.

Aizen staggered as he looked down at the hole that now lay where his heart had once been. His body fell to the ground.

For a short while time stood still.

Grimmjow helped Ulquiorra up from the ground.

The raven's yellow eyes scanned the bluenet's form. He had changed once more. His mask was only thin lines above his eyes and going out to his ears now. Along his clawed black hands now ran thin jade markings that were glowing faintly. The makings thickened as they travelled upwards to the now bare chest of the feline man. Long claws extended from between the bluenet's knuckles, reaching almost a foot from the man's hands.

"He killed you. How can you still…?" Ulquiorra asked confused.

"Tch, like that thing would work," Grimmjow said.

Next to them Aizen's body twitched. His eyes opened wide and he sat up slowly. A pebble sized orb had attached itself to his chest. **_"The Hōgyoku is a part of me now,"_** the brunet said. His eyes focused on the two Arrancar in front of him. He stood up slowly. **_"I will crush you now,"_** he said as he held a hand out. **_"Any last words?"_**

**_"_****_Yeah, I've got some fucking last words."_**

The brunet turned around. There was a young blond man standing in the shadows a few feet away. He watched as the blond stepped forward and threw the dead twisted body of Wonderweiss on the floor.

**_"_****_You talk too fucking much. It pisses me off. Just die already,"_** Link said irritably. He lifted his staff at the same time as Starrk tore through a wall and pinned Tōsen down. Flames rose around the blond. He leaned forward slightly and disappeared from sight only to reappear behind Aizen. He trapped the brunet between his own body and the staff he held between his hands. **_"Now you'll be a good boy and take our hatred with you to Hell,"_** he hissed. Flames danced out around them burning brighter and hotter as they spread. **_"Now, UTE!"_** he called out.

Blood flowed from a slash in Grimmjow's hand as he raised it. Power built up fast. Next to him Ulquiorra created another javelin.

Starrk raised his guns.

Ichigo angled his sword and red Reishi started dancing along the blade.

Kenpachi cracked his neck. He was bored. There were way too many players on this field. Though he guessed he could understand why.

Gin raised a hand. And a red orb formed in his palm. He'd get his two cents into this as well.

Colours filled the air.

Smoke rose from the ground where they all collided.

Ichigo walked up to Grimmjow. **_"Do you think Rinku is alright?"_** he asked worriedly.

**_"_****_He sure as Hell better be,"_** Grimmjow answered.

The smoke cleared. The only thing that remained of the arrogant brunet was a pile of ash on the floor next to his Zanpakutō. The sword was dull and lifeless now.

The three men turned as blood splattered all over their backs. Tōsen fell to the ground as the blade that was sticking out of his head withdrew.

Gin smirked at them in his usual creepy manner. **_"Couldn' let tha' man kill ya' now could I," _**he said.

Warm arms wrapped around Grimmjow's waist tightly.

* * *

Link ran a hand through his hair. Las Noches was a mess. He fell down on his knees with a sigh. His stomach rumbled. _'Great,'_ he thought sarcastically. He guessed he'd have to deal with that before doing anything else. His eyes went unfocused.

They needed to help the Shinigami back to Earth.

**_"_****_Hey, Rinku it was right?" _**

Link opened his eyes. He looked up at the red-haired Shinigami with his ridiculous pineapple hairstyle. **_"Yes, Renji-san,"_** he said.

**_"_****_You wouldn't know how we're supposed to get back. I mean Aizen closed the Garganta, and you guys sent Kurotsuchi-taichō away so,"_** Renji said with a shrug, **_"how do we get back?"_**

**_"_****_I'm a little busy here,"_** Link said annoyed. **_"I'm trying to decide what to have for dinner."_**

Renji raised an eyebrow. _'What is he on about?'_ he wondered.

The blond leaned back until he fell down in the sand. **_"Oh, how I love to eat – one of my favourite things to do," _**he said smiling a bit madly. **_"Go talk to Szayel, he's got more brains than a brain pie." _**He sat up suddenly. **_"Ooh...brain pie... perfect!" _**he exclaimed before looking up at Renji. **_"Care to donate?"_** he asked innocently.

The redhead backed off slowly, looking down at the blond like he was mad – something that Link had completely counted on of course. Renji turned around and ran for it. He was not interested in ending up on someone's menu.

"Was that really necessary?"

Link looked up at his mate. "Oui, amour. I'm hungry and he was annoying me," he said.

Grimmjow chuckled. "Well, we better get you fed then before you start nibbling on the poor Shinigami," he said as he grabbed the blond and pulled him up. He held his lover tightly as he Soníd-ed them away.

…

The Shinigami and humans stood gathered together. Ichigo had promised them that the Arrancar would help them get back to the Human World.

**_"_****_Well I guess it is time to send you guys back now."_**

They turned around.

Grimmjow, Link and Ulquiorra were standing there. The two former Espada moved up past them and ripped the fabric of space open while the blond walked up to the group. He held out two Zanpakutō. "As proof of what has happened here," he said.

Kuchiki Byakuya walked forward and accepted the swords from young man.

**_"_****_And him. He helped us a bit but we don't want him here," _**Link said as Starrk showed up with Ichimaru Gin.

Byakuya gave a curt nod. He looked over his shoulder and Renji moved forward. The redhead walked up to the silver-haired man and grabbed him.

Link held his hand out for the man's Zanpakutō which Starrk handed over to him. **_"Hey, Rukia-san, catch,"_** he said before throwing the short blade over to the raven-haired girl. **_"Sayōnara Shinigami,"_** he said. Then he turned to Ichigo. **_"See ya' later Kurosaki."_**


	24. Calm between Storms

**Calm between Storms**

Purrs filled the air.

Gentle fingers ran through soft hair slowly. Blue eyes blinked open for a second scanning the area around them before closing once more. The owner let out a content sigh between purrs. He was lying with his head on his mate's stomach. The blonde's hands were massaging his scalp.

The intruders had been sent home the day before.

Midna was off with Harribel and her girls.

Both Link and Szayel were trying to figure out how to get the little imp back to normal.

Grimmjow looked up. At least his mate didn't mind being with him while he was thinking unlike Szayel who had thrown everyone out of his labs with an order not to disturb him. He reached out and trailed his fingers down the blonde's exposed chest. He could feel the shudder that ran through the body beneath him. One of the hands that had been running through his hair moved and grabbed his hand. Their finger interlocked and their joined hands closed over Link's beating heart.

"Hhhhhhhaa." Green eyes opened as Link sat up with a jerk. His hands had moved down instinctually to grab the bluenet as he moved. He sat there wide eyed just staring straight forward.

Grimmjow sat up slowly. "Link…" he said placing his hands on either side of the blonde's head. "Link what's wrong?" he asked.

The blond blinked suddenly.

"Yo," Grimmjow said. "What's going on love?" he asked.

"I… I think I figured it out… and it's so simple… I… I need to go talk to Szayel," Link said as he stood up.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes at the blonde's behaviour. The funniest thing was that the teen was still holding his hand. Even as the blond moved away, he didn't let go which forced Grimmjow up on his feet if he didn't want to get dragged along. He stumbled up and staggered for a few steps before tightening his grip on the blond and pulling the teen back. "Calm down," he whispered. His arms wrapped around the blond. "Szayel won't go anywhere there's no need to run there," he said.

Huge green eyes peaked up through honey-blond locks. The blond was pouting childishly.

Grmmjow lowered his head. "If you continue doing that you won't be seeing the scientist today," he whispered huskily in the teen's ear.

Link chuckled softly. "Fiiiine," he said while rolling his eyes. He stood up on his tiptoes and kissed the bluenet. The man lowered his arm and swiftly lifted his mate up, not letting the other's lips go.

Tongues danced together hungrily as pale fingers tangled into blue locks. Link moaned softly. He could feel the bluenet's hands knead his ass, and he buckled up against the man. "Fuck that feels good," he hummed.

**_"_****_Rinku there you are."_**

The blond pulled away from Grimmjow slowly. He rested his head against the man's shoulder. **_"What do you want Midona?"_** he asked. _'Did she have to show up now? We were having fun,' _he thought irritably. His arms tightened around the bluenet's neck as the man let go off him. He dropped back down on the ground slowly before turning around to face the imp.

Midna was smirking. **_"You were supposed to figure out a way to help me not snogg blue here,"_** she said her arms folded over her chest.

Link blinked and then a warm smile spread over his face. **_"I think I figured it out,"_** he said excitedly. He reached out and grabbed the imp. **_"Let's go see Zaeru,"_** he said and then they were gone.

…

Midna sat in the middle of Szayel's second lab. Around her Hylian runes and strange symbols were draw on the floor. Link sat in front of her his eyes closed and his legs crossed. The markings on his skin were glowing brightly.

Midna was nervous. She was really hoping that this would work.

Szayel was moving around the room making sure that everything was in order before he took his own position behind the imp. They had considered using more people in the ritual, but in the end Link had decided that more people wouldn't actually make it any easier. He and Szayel had worked for hours to get used enough to each others power so that they wouldn't create a mistake by misjudging what they could do together. Adding another person would have meant a lot more work preparing for the ritual which no one really had the patience for.

The pink-haired Arrancar did a final sweep and then he sat down.

Light danced around the room as Link started chanting in Hylian. He moved his hands out from his body palms up. Power built up in his hands. The light it gave off became so strong that Midna had to close her eyes. She heard the blonde's hands hit the floor with a thump. Ropes twisted around her holding her body in place.

Link's voice rose and fell soothingly.

And then…

…There was pain.

White… hot… excruciating pain that burned her to the bone.

She screamed

…and screamed.

She screamed herself hoarse.

It felt like her skin was being ripped from her flesh. It felt like every nerve in her body was on fire.

Crack…crack…crack…"Aaaaarrrrrrgggghhhhhh," she screamed once again when every bone in her body was crushed.

Then everything went dark.

.

.

.

.

Orange eyes blinked open slowly.

**_"_****_Don't move yet, Midona,"_** Link's soft voice reached her ears.

Soothing warmth flowed through her still aching body. She let out a relived sigh. **_"Arigatou, Rinku," _**she whispered.

The blond chuckled warmly. Then he sighed. **_"I'm sorry you had to go through so much pain,"_** he said.

Midna turned her head to Link. **_"Did it work?" _**she asked.**_ "Am I ….?"_** She could feel the blond clutching her hand and lifting it. He held it up in front of her face. Instead of being small and black with jade markings, her hands were now almost the same size as Link's and bluish white.

The blond lifted his other hand up in front of her face above their clasped hands and water streamed out from his fingers. It solidified and turned blank letting the now woman see herself. The change was striking, he had to admit. Her orange hair was flowing out over her shoulders and down into his lap. She was wearing one of Harribel's outfits right now since she'd turned out to be completely naked once they had managed to transform her back. It had probably been a good thing that he'd been the only one that had come out of the ritual still conscious. Her skin was pale but she did have several pitch-black tattoos. The most notable one was located under her right breast. She had beautiful sculptured eyebrows and faintly lilac lips.

**_"_****_Why am I wearing Tia's clothes?"_** Midna asked.

Link tilted his head to the side as his cheeks turned rosy from a faint blush. **_"You weren't wearing anything after you had returned to this form. Hariberu-san was the closest we could get to fitting clothes, and it isn't like she only has one set,"_** he said.

Midna raised an eyebrow. **_"Great,"_** she said. **_"So how many of the Arrancar saw me?"_** she asked.

**_"_****_Apart from Hariberu-san none. Zaeru was out cold and I got a hold of someone who could find her for me. I guessed she would be the one you were the most comfortable with. She and her girls helped me move you here and then I'm pretty sure I collapsed,"_** Link said.

**_"_****_So just you then."_** She was smirking at him.

Link rolled his eyes as his cheeks heated up. **_"Yeah, just me. It's not like you haven't seen me naked,"_** he said.

It was Midna's turn to blush.

There was a knock on the door. **_"Is either of you awake in there?"_** a warm feminine voice asked.

**_"_****_We're both awake, Sunsun-san,"_** Link said.

The door opened slowly and the olive-green haired woman stepped inside. Her lavender eyes moved over the room as she walked up to them. She raised her hand so that her long sleeve was covering her mouth. **_"Hariberu-sama asked me to check if you were awake. It is good to know that you're both O.K. Do you need anything?"_** she asked calmly.

Link's eyebrows narrowed for a moment and his eyes unfocused. **_"Gurimujō has my pouches. I really need to eat something. Could you ask him to bring them here?"_** he asked her.

Sung-Sun nodded. **_"And you Midona-hime?" _**she asked the orangette.

**_"_****_No thank you, Shian-chan, I'm fine,"_** Midna said.

Cyan smiled softly at the princess, gave her a small nod, and turned around. She closed the door behind her as she walked out.

* * *

"Link!"

The blond laughed heartily as he caught Lilynette and spun them in a circle. "Hey cub, how are you doing?" he asked her. It was the first day that he and Midna felt well enough after the ritual to move around Las Noches.

"I'm boooored," Lilynette whined. "All Starrk does is sleep. And he's so boring. Please play with me." She bounced where she sat on the blonde's hip.

Link chuckled. He turned to Midna just as the woman's legs gave out from under her. Dropping the celadon-haired girl down, he moved forward quickly and caught her. **_"Whoa, Midona… are you O.K?"_** he said.

**_ "_****_I'm fine Rinku…just tired,"_** Midna said.

Link looked up at Lilynette. "Where is Starrk?" he asked her.

The girl pointed towards on of the many towers. "He's lying by the base of the tower…sleeping like usual," she said with a sigh.

Link chuckled. "Let's get Midna over there and then we can play Okay," he told the celadon-haired girl. He looked down at Midna. **_"I'll help you over to Sutāku-san so you can rest your legs,"_** he told her.

Midna nodded. **_"Okay sure…whoa."_** Link lifted her up bridal style. **_"Jeez a warning would have been nice," _**she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Link rolled his eyes at her playfully. The sand around his feet rose into the air in a cloud as he took off towards the tower. As he landed next to the snoozing brunet, a grey eye opened and looked at them lazily. "Hey Starrk," the blond said. "Can you take care of Midona while I play with Lily?"

The brunet shifted on his pillows to make room for the woman.

"Merci, Starrk," Link said as he placed Midna down. He kissed her on the cheek. **_"Have fun,"_** he told her before moving up to the impatient girl that was waiting for him.

Midna rolled her eyes, a smile gracing her lips. She watched Link as he turned in to his wolf form. The golden furred canine jumped at the celadon haired girl and she giggled. The orangette followed the two with her eyes until they slowly fell closed and she fell asleep.

.

.

It could be hours later or just a few minutes. It really was impossible to tell since the damn inside of the dome of Las Noches showed a constant cloudy day.

Midna didn't want to open her eyes. She was warm and comfortable. Breathing in, she could scent cinnamon and sandalwood. She let out a content sigh. And then her pillow moved. _'Wait… pillows don't move,' _she thought. Burnt-orange eyes opened slowly. Her field of vision was white. Her pale hand really looked blue laying on top of the white expanse. Then she realised that her head was moving up and down steadily. _'Breathing…'_ she realised. She shifted and moved herself up so she was holding herself up with her forearms. She was lying on top of Starrk. A light blush spread over her cheeks. She was about to move away when the brunet's eyes opened. **_"Where are you goin'?"_** he asked sleepily. **_"You're cosy."_**

Midna could feel how the man's arm tightened around her waist. She breathed in shakily. He reached out with his other hand and ran his thumb over her lips. **_"You're a beautiful woman,"_** he said softly.

The orangette's blush deepened. **_"Arigatou,"_** she mumbled her eyes downcast.

Starrk chuckled softly.

"Staaaaarrk!" Lilynette threw herself at the man skilfully avoiding the Twili Princess lying on his chest.

Link chuckled as he came and sat down next to the man. He leaned in and placed his head on the brunet's shoulder. **_"So, this is cosy I can see why you're doing it," _**he said with a teasing smile.

**_"_****_Oh, shut up,"_** Midna said. She reached out and pushed him off the brunet. **_"Get your own,"_** she said.

Link chuckled as he picked himself out of the sand. **_"Oh, I'll get my own,"_** he said. His eyes went out of focus for a moment and not ten seconds later the bluenet had pulled him up and was snogging him.

The two men left almost as fast as Grimmjow had appeared.

**_"Those two are obsessed with each other,"_** Lilynette said as-a-matter-of-factly.

Midna laughed. A sound like wind through wind chimes. _**"To true sweet-heart, to true,"**_ she said.

…

Time passed.

Midna recovered slowly.

They would need to leave soon. The Twilight Realm wouldn't save itself.


	25. Kage no Hime

**Kage no Hime**

On the day they were leaving for the Twilight Realm, Link was looking at all the stuff he'd gathered during his trips through Hyrule. He doubted he'd need all of those things. He picked up the bow and quiver; they could always come in handy. Bombs and the Dominion rod, but apart form those things, he doubted that he would need anything else weapon wise. He put the weapons down in one of his pouches. "One for weapons and one for food," he mumbled. He would have to make a detour to the Hyrule to get some food before they went to kill Zant. He would have considered going to the Human Realm if he had any money that would work there.

"We're leaving soon," Grimmjow said. He looked down at the stuff cluttering his bed. "Where does all this stuff come from anyway?" he asked

"Inside temples and from friends I guess," Link said as he ran a hand through his hair. "Most of it is quite useless I just haven't had the energy to get rid off it."

The bluenet snorted. "Midona is getting impatient," he informed the blond.

Link rolled his eyes. "Of course she is. She wants to go home and kill that idiot," he said. He packed down the last of his bottles and turned to face his mate. "Well I'm ready to go now, but we have to deal with Xanto today because I'm out of food."

Grimmjow's brows furrowed. "That could become problematic once we separate this world from the others. We can't grow things in Hueco Mundo and we don't really do animals. How are you going to survive that?" he asked.

Link shrugged. "I'm hoping that once we've separated the worlds whatever it is that's making it constant night around here will fix itself," he said as he walked up to the bluenet. He reached up and kissed the man gently. "If that doesn't work out, Szayel and I are working on a different solution." He smiled at Grimmjow as he pulled away. "We have thought about it already, you know. I'm not going to die on you," he said, his fingers running through the bluenet's hair.

"You better not," Grimmjow said possessively.

Link laughed.

The two of them walked out of the room. Down a set of stairs and through a hallway, they walked.

Midna was standing in the bright light filling the dome of Las Noches tapping her left foot impatiently. She turned as Lilynette came walking up to her. **_"We're coming too,"_** the girl stated. Starrk walked up behind her and smiled lazily at the orangette.

Midna smiled back. Her insides were fluttering happily. She reached out and placed a hand against the celadon-haired girl's cheek **_"That's nice Riri. You guys will be way better company than those two lazy ass idiots I've been travelling with so far,"_** she said.

**_"_****_Cause that is a nice way of thanking the ones that made it possible for you to go now and help your people,"_** Link said. He didn't look the least bit angry. It was more like he was questioning her sanity in talking the way she was.

Midna just rolled her eyes playfully at him.

**_"_****_So, Zaeru will join up with us later. He had some stuff he needed to do. I've made certain he can find us when he's ready so we can leave now,"_** Link said.

**_"_****_Tsuni,"_** Midna whined. **_"I want to go home."_**

* * *

**_"_****_Is this Kage no Sekai?"_** Lilynette asked in disgust. The place looked like it was bathed in poisonous gas. It was all dark, and in the distance they could hear distorted moans. **_"Hueco Mundo is way nicer than this place. It just looks sick."_**

Midna sighed. **_"Most of that is Zanto's fault. This place really is beautiful,"_** she said. Her fists closed tightly. She'd make that monster pay for what he'd done to her people.

They walked through the streets slowly. Once in a while they could see the wrapped form of Twilis living there. It made the orangette sad to see them like that. They weren't supposed to look like monsters.

**_"_****_We'll fix it Midona,"_** Link said softly. He reached out and grabbed her hand. **_"We won't let them stay like that."_**

Midna smiled a small smile. She knew they would fix it, but that didn't make it any less saddening to see.

Lilynette was jumping from one building to another in front of them. She thought that it was fun to go see a new place even if the new place was all dreary looking. She jumped again and landed right next to a strange being. It wore a flat mask over its face almost like a black Hollow mask. At least that was what she'd thought while the being was looking straight at her, but then the being turned its head and she moved back a step. The mask looked to be attached directly to the being's neck. There was no head. The jade makings on the beast's body had her going back to the others rather than pulling her sword. Both Link and Midna had jade markings.

The girl joined up with the group as they ascended a fight of stairs. They led up to a floating piece of land that held three buildings all made of rough granite. Darkness flowed down the walls and red marks decorated thick archways.

**_"_****_We're going straight for the main palace,"_** Midna said while pointing.

Link pulled his staff out of his weapon's pouch. He might as well be prepared.

They walked up a steep bridge that went between the main island and the island that the palace stood on. A shriek tore through the air and a shadow kargarok launched itself off the path before them swiftly flowed by another.

The first one didn't even reach them. Link had sent off a fiery ball at it and it had caught fire falling, burning to its doom. The second one reached them but as it went to attack the smallest of the group the girl pulled a scimitar from the broken horn in her Hollow mask. She swung the blade through the air and the bird-like creature fell dead to the ground before turning to smoke. A Cero tore through the air at a third kargarok unexpectedly. None of the others in the group had even seen the monster coming towards them.

Starrk yawned and scratched his goatee absentmindedly.

The Cero had been blue but way to dark to be one of Grimmjow's it was obvious that the brunet had sent it off.

Link chuckled and shook his head. **_"Come on we're almost inside," _**he said as he walked up to the dark flowing waterfall of shadows that flowed towards the land below slowly. He stepped out on a glowing red circle on the bridge. **_"Who's idea was it to have a hole in the path leading up to the palace?"_** he asked. It was so stupid. Why would anyone build something like that? Not to even mention just how dumb it was to have a shadowfall just outside your front door.

**_"_****_It wasn't there when I ruled,"_** Midna said. **_"It must be something Zanto has done since then."_**

Link snorted. **_"He's got no style what-so-ever,"_** he said before jumping through the darkness. He slammed his staff down at another kargarok killing the beast instantly. "Lily come over here," he called in French.

The girl jumped through and was caught by the blond. She was let down on the ground, and a light-pink eye scanned the area. She noticed a bird-monster and ran off to kill the beast. The monsters around there were so weak.

Grimmjow and Starrk stepped through the dark curtain and then the brunet turned and caught Midna as she jumped through. He smiled down at her softly. Being down, he whispered something in her ear. The orangette's eyes widened a bit before a wide smile spread over her lips. She reached up with a pale hand and placed it against the brunet's cheek before reaching up to kiss the man softly.

**_"_****_Finally,"_** Link breathed. He smiled as he walked up to the front door. He pushed the door open. **_"Hellooooo Zanto we're here. Come out come out wherever you are. We're gonna come find you and turn you into confetti,"_** he called loudly his voice echoing through the hall.

**_"_****_You really think he'll stay around if you say stuff like that?"_** Grimmjow asked.

The blond shrugged. **_"There is no way he's getting away from us so why not let him sweat a bit,"_** he said nonchalantly. He walked forward and killed off the shadow keese flying around in the room. A hoard of shadow vermin came crawling from the shadow that lay like thick clouds on the floor. Fire spread out around Link's feet killing them off. His eyes scanned the room swiftly. **_"We need to go up to get were we're supposed to go,"_** he said.

**_"_****_There is supposed to be a set of stairs here,"_** Midna said in annoyance. **_"I know we don't need them but my people will."_** She was just getting more and more irritated with the so called king.

**_"_****_We can fix all that after we've removed the annoyance from your throne Midona-chan,"_** Starrk said warmly.

The orangette nodded. **_"Arigatou Koyōte," _**she said.

…

They were walking outside once more. Lilynette was jumping from kargarok to kargarok killing them as she went. She disappeared behind a curtain of thick smoke for a moment before coming back out. **_"Eh, can I kill this one too?"_** they heard her ask suddenly. It looked almost like the people down in the town they had travelled through so she was a bit apprehensive.

**_"_****_Please don't Riri-chan,"_** Midna answered softly. **_"There is a possibility that it is one of my people that has been twisted by Zanto's evil magic and I'd prefer if you didn't harm it."_**

The celadon haired girl shrugged and jumped over to another bird-like monster cutting its head off as she went.

**_"_****_This one is locked as well,"_** Grimmjow said as he pointed at the next door.

Link hummed as he walked up to the big iron lock. _'Now how come these locks look the same as the ones attached to every locked door in Hyrule?'_ he wondered._ 'One would think that they'd be different around here.'_ He backed up as the big chunk of metal fell to the ground. "Come on Lily honey we're leaving," he called over his shoulder to the pink-eyed girl. He pushed the door open.

Midna followed the blond through the door. The room they entered had been ruined. Where once a set of fenced lifts had allowed for her people to travel up to her throne room there now was a broken pattern of stupid platforms that couldn't possibly be functional. Of course Zant didn't want visitors, but still this was just stupid. _'Why did you change this?'_ she wondered.

Glad that they didn't need to bother with the stupid mechanics in the room, the company proceeded to the next door.

Smoke flowed over the floor. As their group walked forward, shadow beasts came running from within the cloudy blackness.

Link stopped. **_"You guys move over to the door. It'll be easier for me to bind these beasts down if you're not standing in the way,"_** he said with a shooing motion. He waited until the others had left him alone in the cloud of darkness before binding the particles together and creating a net that would serve to bind the beasts until they'd left the room. He joined the others and looked up at the gigantic lock. He reached up and placed a hand on the oversized thing unlocking it quickly.

**_"_****_Just remember that I want to deal with this moron,"_** Midna said as Link placed his hand on the door.

The three men nodded.

**_"_****_Can I help please Midona-san,"_** Lilynette said her visible eye big and pleading.

The orangette chuckled warmly. **_"Oh, O.K. you can help,"_** she said as she placed an arm around the girl's shoulders.

The door opened slowly.

They walked up the few steps that lay before them and into a big throne room. Zant was sitting on the high backed throne leisurely. He watched as the intruders walked into his throne room. The three men in the group stopped by the stairs. They were calmly watching the two females that continued walking.

**_"_****_Zanto,"_** Midna said. **_"Isn't this ironic? Here we are, all thanks to the dark magic curse that you placed on Rinku!"_**

**_"_****_You speak of magic?"_** Zant said as he stood up.

It occurred to Link that the man might not actually be able to see through the stupid chameleon mask he was wearing. The man hadn't reacted at all to Midna's recovered form after all. **_"Midona catch,"_** he said quietly.

The woman turned and caught Kage no Genzume, Link's staff. She could feel power flowing through it.

**_"_****_You haven't recovered fully yet so you should use that,"_** Link said.

The orangette smiled back at him before turning back to the so-called-king in front f her.

**_"_****_Still you tongue for a moment, whelp, and I will tell you of both magic and the oppression of ages… The people of our tribe… a tribe that mastered the arts of magic…"_** He walked forward and his mask moved away from his face.

Midna didn't wait for the man to finish. She'd learned from how the blond fought and had started moving forward just as he had. The staff slammed into the man with enough force to send him flying. He landed in a heap on the cold granite floor. His yellow eyes turned to look at the woman. _'What happened?' _he wondered. _'She can't possibly be strong enough to…'_ he seen the three men that had entered with the Princes still standing in place. **_"No,"_** he hissed as he saw Midna. **_"How did you return to that form?"_**

Midna snorted. **_"I have powerful friends, Zanto. They decided to help me and now we have come to undo the disgusting things you've done to my people,"_** she said determinedly. She moved forward quickly and slammed the butt of the staff straight down at the man.

Clank!

Zant had teleported away right at the last moment.

Midna turned towards the man.

**_"_****_My God has given me access to magic far greater than anything…"_**

**_"_****_Just shut up creep,"_** Minda interrupted him. She connected to the magic within the staff and sent off a fireball at him. She didn't stand still and wait for the man to recover. No, she moved forward teleporting out of sight and hit him over the back of the head.

…

As the men watched the fight going on before them they could hear the door open. Link turned around and smiled as a pink-haired man joined them. **_"Welcome to Midona's king bashing Zaeru-san,"_** he greeted the scientist. He could hear a roar as Lilynette joined the fight.

The celadon-haired girl raised her scimitar and slashed at the usurper king's ankles. He shrieked in pain.

Midna slashed out with her staff once more. A wisp of snowflakes followed the metal. It hit Zant and the entire left side of his face bloomed out in frozen flowers. He stumbled back only to get a heavy blade slashing over his back.

The two females wouldn't give him a chance to move away from them as they continued to rain hits and slashes over his body.

**_"_****_I hope she remembers that I would get him,"_** Szayel said.

Link shrugged. **_"If she goes overboard we can just stop her,"_** he said.

**_"_****_Aaaaaargh, you piss me off so much Zant,"_** Midna exclaimed. She hit the man one more time before grabbing Lilynette and pulling the girl away from him.

**_"_****_Y-You…TRAITORS! I was supposed to be named king but…"_** Zant cried out.

Midna turned around slightly. **_"Traitors…"_** she said calmly. **_"Do you know why no one would call you king? It was your eyes, Zant. All saw it, a lust for power burning in your pupils… Did you think we couldn't see that? Did you think we'd allow some power-hungry idiot to take power? You know what I can't decide if I like your looks or your personality better. It's like comparing mud to sewage,"_** she told him. She turned to Szayel. **_"You can have him now Zaeruaporo-san. I'm done with him I never want to see the bastard again."_**

**_"_****_You cannot best me. As long as my master, Ganon, survives, he will resurrect me without cease!" _**Zant cried desperately.

**_"_****_Resurrect you," _**Szayel said. **_"For him to resurrect you, you would have to be dead Twili-san. And I'm not planning on killing you anytime soon… Oh, no you need to hold for so many little interesting experiments."_**

**_"_****_Besides," _**Link said. **_"I'm familiar with your so-called-God, and I can't say I'm impressed. We've already killed one man who thought he was a God. Killing another shouldn't be too hard."_**

Midna reached out towards the former usurper king. The three Fused Shadows he'd taken from her came sailing towards her. **_"I'll be taking theses with me,"_** she said. She walked up to Link. **_"We should save Zeruda-hime now. I wish to return that which she gave me," _**she told the blond.

**_"_****_Don't worry Midona," _**Link said. He held out his hand and took his staff back from her. He closed his eyes and the staff started glowing a soft yellow and Midna could feel Zelda's presence in the power. **_"You can stay here and deal with your people and what Zant has done to this place. Grimmjow and I will go and deal with Ganondorofu."_**

**_"_****_But last time we were there you couldn't even get through the shield that enclosed the…"_**

Link held a hand up to silence her. **_"We were unbalanced last time we tried that. There is a big difference between then and now. Don't you worry about us. We'll deal with that man and destroy the Mirror. I know how to deal with rifts. We'll be fine," _**he said calmingly.

Midna nodded slowly. **_"Good luck, Rinku,"_** she said before wrapping her arms around the blond and hugging him tightly.

"See you later Starrk…" Link called over to the man and then he picked Lilynette up. "You better make certain that things actually get done around here while we're gone," he whispered to her.

The pink-eyed girl giggled and nodded her head.

The two lovers left the throne room.

…

Link and Grimmjow walked up towards the swirling yellow portal that would take them back to Hyrule. They were going to deal with Ganondorf for good now. They stopped on top of the Triforce equipped circle on the gray dirt that made up most of the land in the Twilight Realm. He tilted his head and connected to the magic that would take them back to Hyrule when a voice stopped him.

"And where do you two think you're going?"


	26. Boar Chops Anyone?

**Boar Chops Anyone?**

Link placed another log on his small fire. He was going to grill fish and make a vegetable stew for supper. He looked over to where Ulquiorra and Grimmjow were sitting with their heads closely together disguising how to best take down the magic barrier that kept them from getting to Hyrule Castle. The raven-haired man had joined them just before they'd left for Hyrule. He'd said something about not saving Grimmjow only to see him kill himself now. The bluenet had just snorted at the comment.

Forcing the fire down to a pyre, Link slowly stared getting their food ready. He cut a potato-lookalike to quarters. It tasted almost like potato but had a sweet overtone that reminded him more of carrots. Not to mention that it was bright green. He grabbed one of his bottles and dropped the vegetable inside. He'd taken a trip by Ordon and grabbed a pumpkin which he was now adding to the bottle. The he cut an apple in half. Hylian apples were mush sweeter than most Earth apples and they had an almost strawberry taste to them. He placed the fish down on a flat stone he'd placed in the fire earlier.

"That smells good," Grimmjow said as he sat down next to the blond. He reached out and pulled the teen closer. Link smiled at him as he moved to sit between his legs. The bluenet wrapped his arms around his mate's waist, and pulled him up against his chest. Resting his chin on the blonde's shoulder, he closed his eyes and sighed contently. His eyes travelled over to Ulquiorra. "So we think that if we go for a small point of impact and then just blast it," he informed Link. "It's strong all around, but if we can centre the blast through one of Quio's javelins, it should work."

Link nodded. "Makes sense to me," he said before reaching into the coal and flipping the fish over. Being able to take almost any temperature did have its perks. "So are we going tonight or are we waiting until tomorrow?" he asked.

Ulquiorra shrugged. "Is there any point in trying to be stealthy and go in during the night or…?" he asked expressionlessly.

Link scratched his head in thought. "It will be pretty obvious that we're coming when we destroy the barrier. The question is if we want company from any of the humans in town or not really," he said.

Grimmjow grimaced. "I'd prefer if we didn't have to deal with the humans to be honest," he said. He really didn't like the stupid creatures.

Link hummed in agreement. "I've already said goodbye to the people that matter around here so I'm all for just going there after we've eaten," he said. "It should be done soon." He reached out and grabbed the glass bottle filled with stew that rested in the coals. It was simmering away happily. He pulled out a set of wooden bowls that Pergie had given him when he'd told her he was leaving for good. She had been saddened by the news, but rather than try to convince him that he should stay, she had given him a sett of wooden bowls and spoons. He filled the bowls with the stew and handed one each over to Ulquiorra and Grimmjow. "Here you go," he said getting dual 'thank yous' in response. The fish had been speared on sharpened sticks before he'd put them in the coals. "You won't have any trouble with picking those up right?" he said.

Ulquiorra gave him a small smile. "It won't be a problem, Link," he said before reaching out and picking one of the fish up. It had been so long since he last had human food and this smelled delicious. Over the years of being alone in Hueco Mundo he'd become more and more lifeless he guessed. And then Aizen had found him and used that stupid Zanpakutō. He hadn't actually been all that interested in anything anymore by then. It felt strange to actually care about something once more. His dull green eyes landed on the two men sitting on the other side of the pyre.

The two were cuddled together as they ate their stew. Link reached out and picked a fish up biting into it with vigour. He was pulled back as the bluenet attacked the fish he was holding. Warm laughter filled the air.

Ulquiorra chuckled softly.

…

Dusty orange runes were carved into the crystal surrounding the castle.

A bright jade projectile sailed through the air. It hit the barrier creating a crack in the smooth surface before the crystal exploded. An intense light filled the air.

"Well… that worked nicely," Grimmjow said. "I guess we'll just enter from here now."

Link snorted. "No, Grimm we're standing in mid air over Zora River, but we have to use the main gate to enter the castle," he said sarcastically.

The bluenet rolled his eye and the corners of Ulquiorra's mouth turned up slightly. They moved forward towards the castle. "When my grandfathers fought Ganondorf he had situated himself at the highest possible point in his castle. We could always blow the topmost windows out and see if he's there," Link said as they came closer to the building. The sky had darkened and ominous clouds building.

* * *

Yellow eyes moved lazily over the blue carpet in the throne room. Outside a storm was brewing. It was just the way he liked it. There was only one thing that aggravated him. The third part of the Triforce, the Triforce of Courage, was missing. He had captured Zelda. The foolish Princess might not be the same one as the one that ordered his execution so many years ago, but he despised her and her foolish people all the same.

For quite a while after his execution his mind had been filled with a different existence. A secondary future. A future where he'd ruled Hyrule only to have his rule destroyed by two foolish boys. One of which had held the Triforce he now sought. But what had happened to that piece of the sacred triangle? He had felt it briefly, moving around Hyrule so he knew it was there. Then it had disappeared, and he could only imagine that the current little fool of a hero had gone to the Twilight Realm to defeat Zant.

Next to him the Princess whimpered in her nightmare riddled sleep. He sneered down at her body.

Then he felt it. The crystal barrier he had erected around the castle to ensure that he could return to full power in peace exploded. A smirk spread over his lips. That would mean that the foolish boy was on his way. He raised Zelda to hang in the empty space between the triangles of the Triforce in the goddess statue behind his throne. He had blasted Farore's head off when he'd first entered the place. Courage was such a stupid thing.

"Why do evil lords always have to be so melodramatic? Can you answer me that…Ganondorf?" a smooth baritone floated through the empty stone hall.

Ganondorf leaned forward over the sword that lay across his lap. He had not expected the boy to show up so soon. He was sure that the minions he had walking around the castle should have at least given the boy some challenge. Yet here he was. "Welcome to my castle," he said darkly.

Link chuckled and gave a light bow. "Why thank you Ganondorf it is such a pleasure to be here," he said as he shifted the staff in his hand.

The man stood up slowly. He took a step forward only to be thrown backwards. His yellow eyes narrowed at the young blond before him. Jade markings much like the ones the covered the shadow folk were appearing over the boy's body. "Well, well look at this it would seem that light has been touched by shadow, little hero," he sneered.

"Light," Link said amused. "Oh, I've never been light Ganondorf, and that is why you will die tonight." He raised his staff and fired off a fiery ball.

Ganondorf moved out of the projectile's way. He scoffed at the boy. "Ah, but can you fight me little hero," he sneered, "if I do this?" His body turned to shadow particles and rose up in the air.

Link moved back a few steps as he saw the dark cloud penetrate Princess Zelda's lifeless body. _'Oh, great,'_ he thought. He'd promised Midna that he'd save the Princess of Hyrule for her so he couldn't just cut the woman's head off even if that did seem like the perfect way to deal with this. "You just had to do that," he said with a sigh. "Grimmjow… Ulquiorra," he called. "Would you join us now, please? I'm going to have to exorcise this bastard and I don't feel like getting stabbed in the back afterwards."

The Princess moved down to the floor as a solid crystal barrier appeared in the room, blocking off the blonde's exit… or attempting to do that at least. "Faithless fool who would dare to take up arms against the king of light and shadow. So you choose and so you shall feel my wrath!" her distorted voice flowed through the air. She moved up into the air out of the boy's reach.

… or so she thought. She'd barely raised her sword when the blond was standing right in front of her. The markings on his body were shining brightly. A hand moved swiftly and grabbed her by the throat. "I will draw you, Ganondorf, as poison is drawn from a wound," he said irritably. He just couldn't help it the situation just called for a Lord of the Ring's quote. The light from his markings moved out and surrounded the two of them.

On the floor one leaning against the crystal that had appeared and one simply looking up at the blond, two men were standing. They were there now for what would happen after Link was done with his little light show.

The light faded and Link carried Zelda over to her throne. Hopefully she'd be out of his way there. He turned around as he felt the so-called-evil-king materialise behind him. His eyes met with Grimmjow's and then they travelled over to Ulquiorra. Forcing the man out of the Princess hadn't been easy. He really could use a minute or so to recover. He fell down on his knees and breathed in heavily. A presence appeared beside him. "Are you O.K. love?" Grimmjow asked worriedly.

Link nodded. "I just need a few to gather myself. Healing takes way more energy that fighting does," he said while smiling up at the bluenet.

The bluenet messed his mate's hair up as he said, "I guess Ulquiorra and I will deal with this thing then." He looked up at the now reformed beast man in front of them. "Yo, you're one ugly ass pig," he told the beast before drawing Pantera. "And I guess you've got absolutely no clue what I'm saying…" He chuckled. "It doesn't matter… let me show you what a true beast form should look like. **_Kishire Pantera,"_** he said as he ran his left hand over the blade. Reiatsu spread out around him. Once it was gone he was standing there in his Resurrección. He raised a hand as the boar came rampaging towards him. Grabbing the beast by one of its long tusks, he tossed it aside.

Grab ... ... ... smack ... ... ... duck ... ... ... jump ... ... ... grab

"Who is he?"

Link turned towards Princess Zelda with a raised eyebrow. "He's my lover your highness… that is really all that will ever matter to you. Once Ganondorf is dead he is leaving, and he isn't coming back here. Your world doesn't suit him. You people is too weak for his tastes," he said as-a-matter-of-factly.

Zelda seemed somewhat taken back by his uncaring nature. Her blue eyes returned to the fighting for a moment. "He is very brutal," she pointed out.

Link shrugged. "He likes a good fight, and he's a feline so he tends to play with his prey when he can," he said without taking his eyes off his mate's agile form. Watching Grimmjow fight got his blood pumping. A big part of him wondered if he couldn't just drag the bluenet off and fuck him senseless.

"You know fighting this guy just makes me hungry," Grimmjow said suddenly as he stopped just above Link's head. "We should just chop him up and eat him."

"We can't do that," the blond said with a disgusted expression.

"Why not?" Grimmjow asked seriously considering the idea.

"He'll give us indigestion," Link said. He pointed over to the boar. "We can't eat that. He probably tastes horrible anyway."

Grimmjow looked over to the giant boar. It had long red hair and tail but its fur was a dark greyish colour. Its hands and feet looked more like they belonged on a carnivore than an omnivore. He guessed that the completely white eyes were a bit offsetting together with that bright blue mouth and tongue. "O.K. I guess you're right," he said as the beast hit the floor once more.

Ulquiorra had cast the monster aside and was currently charging up a javelin. He raised the glowing green weapon and aimed it at the white scar that went over the beast's chest.

The beast grunted in pain before its head fell limp to the floor.

Link stood up slowly. "I somehow doubt that it is over yet," he said. He placed a hand on Grimmjow's shoulder. "Ganondorf tends to be very hard to get rid off." He turned towards the beast's body as fire spread out over it. "Amazingly good idea Ganondorf use fire against the Elemental Master, will you," he said sarcastically. He turned towards his lover. "Can you get her highness out of here this might spread a bit? Just drop her on Hyrule Field somewhere," he asked.

Grimmjow sighed before reaching out and grabbing the girl. Both he and Ulquiorra disappeared from the room.

Link raised his staff and chuckled at the flames that now formed a very ugly face. "Just come at me Ganondorf," he said tauntingly. The fire charged forward and he beat down with his staff. "Oh, opps did I put you out I'm sorry," he said before laughing as he flamed away.

…

"Here comes the last wave," Link said as he landed next to Grimmjow. "I think I really pissed him off to be honest." He spun the staff around. **_"Zangeki Kage no Genzume,"_** he said softly. Magic or Reiatsu if you prefer moved out around him for a moment. Once it was gone he was standing there with what looked like metal vambraces covering his forearms the metal continued up his arms almost al the way up to his shoulders in strange Twili-like patterns. Down towards his hands Neko-te joined with the vambrace and three claws shot out from the knuckles of each hands much like the bluenet's claws when he entered his Segunda Etapa. The claws looked more like talons though.

"So you can do it too," Grimmjow said as he reached out towards his lover.

Link turned his head towards him. "Yeah, Szayel helped me unlock it back when we were dealing with Midona," he said. He turned towards Ganondorf as the man appeared. "Let's just kill him now," he said.

A javelin appeared in Ulquiorra's hand as he took flight.

The other two started running towards the Gerudo King.

The man sneered at them superiorly. _'Do they truly think that I can be bested by such puny power?'_ he though as he drew his sword. He steered his horse towards them and sent out a bolt of magic at the ground to conjure ghost soldiers. The soldier rode on ahead of him. He smirked as they reached the fools on the ground.

And then the two men were gone.

Ganondorf pulled his horse in. His head turned up as a javelin made of pure energy descended on him. He sneered and reached out in a vain attempt to catch it only to have the staff pierce his hand.

Link landed on the horse's back and kicked the man off. "Bye-bye Ganondorf," he said happily as he landed claws first on the man's chest. By the man's head Grimmjow stopped. He left his resurrected form and placed Pantera against the Gerudo's throat. He slashed through the olive green expanse of skin swiftly as Link tore out with his claws ripping the man's chest wide open.

And so the Evil Dark King was no more.

.

.

.

.

.

Link looked over at Princess Zelda. "This is goodbye Princess," he said. "From now on your world of light and our world of so called shadows will be separated." He reached out and took his lovers hand. The bluenet nodded. He was more than ready to leave this world behind.

.

.

.

.

Link placed his hand against the Mirror of Twilight. Legends told that only the leader of the Twili could destroy the mirror but that wasn't true. He pushed his magic into the mirror and it cracked. "You'll have to do the rest," he said, turning to Ulquiorra.

The raven-haired man nodded slowly. Lifting a hand he charged up a Cero. Behind them, Grimmjow opened a Garganta. They moved into the familiar darkness and just before the portal closed Ulquiorra sent his Cero off.

The mirror would be no more once it hit.


	27. Epilogue – Closing the Rift

**Closing the Rift **

Link looked down at the letter in his hands. He sighed and prayed to Nayru that the man he was going to see wouldn't attack him. He landed next to a house he knew very well. It looked like it was in worse condition now than it would in the future though. He took a deep breath and Misted inside. He almost laughed as he saw Erenigh. The man was so young. He reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Please don't panic," he said in Hylian.

The dark-red haired man turned around. His amber eyes fell upon the blond and widened. The boy looked like a mix between his honorary brothers. "Who are you?" he asked in English completely forgetting that the other man had spoken Hylian.

Link chuckled. "Because the weave of time could be ripped apart if I told you I will not." He held out the letter he was holding. "I need you to give this to my family when the time comes," he said. "You'll understand one day I promise." His big green eyes were pleading. "Please do this for me," he said in Hylian.

Erenigh reached out and accepted the letter. "I'll make sure they get it," he said not really understanding why he was willing to help this young man.

Link bowed. "Thank you," he said softly. He turned slightly as another person appeared beside him.

Erenigh drew his wand quickly but did not fire any spells.

"Are you done here now?" the blue-haired man asked the blond in French. The blond nodded. "I promise you will understand one day," he said before the two disappeared.

…

"Ha, I found her Grimmjow. She's still alive," Link said as he walked over to the bluenet. "I have her address. We can go see her now." His eyes softened at the look in his mate's eyes. He reached up ran his fingers over the other's cheek before kissing him.

Grimmjow took a deep breath once his lover had let go of him. "Let's go," he said nervously. Link took his hand and led them out off the archive building. They moved quickly through the streets and made sure that when they did land it was in the shadows.

"It's up here," Link said softly. He opened a heavy iron panel door. The walls beyond the door were painted a faded lilac.

They walked up a set of stairs and stopped outside a door. O. Partee was written in black letters.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Grimmjow asked.

Link rolled his eyes. "Oui, love I'm sure," he said. He reached out and pushed the ring bell. It sounded through the stairwell echoing as it travelled. Soon enough the lock clicked and the door opened. A middle-aged light-blond woman stood in the door. "Yes, what can I do for you sir?" she asked.

Link smiled warmly at her. He had guessed that she would be incapable of seeing Grimmjow and it seemed like he was right. "I'm from the Institute of Health and we're currently doing some research about the health in family of elderly with special needs and I was wondering if you could answer some questions," he said as if he knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Oh, well I guess that is alright," the woman said. "Please come in."

"Thank you. You have no idea how much your help can benefit our research," Link said as he stepped inside. Grimmjow followed closely behind him as he entered the apartment and followed the woman into the kitchen. Bright yellow curtains hung in the kitchen window, which was cracked open just a tiny bit, letting fresh air into the room.

Link sat down and made sure he looked official as Grimmjow walked out of the room looking for his little sister.

He found her eventually in one of the bedrooms. She was old, grey-haired and wrinkly, but he could still see that something that had made Onessai so special. He was glad that she had survived the war. Right at the moment she was sleeping peacefully. He reached out and wrapped his fingers around one of her frail hands. He sat like that for heaven knows how long alternating between watching his sister and looking out the window.

"I must be dreaming."

He turned his head back to look at the old woman. He smiled softly at her. "Non, mon petit chaton," he said. "You're not dreaming." He reached out and ran his fingers over her cheek. "I'm really here."

Onessai smiled. "I missed you big brother," she said.

Grimmjow chuckled. "I missed you too kitten," he said.

"Grimmjow, love…"

The bluenet turned to look towards the door where Link was standing.

"Oui?" he said questioningly.

"I think that your niece is going to figure out something is fishy about me real soon," the blond said.

"Oh, but who is this Grimmjow," Onessai asked, a hint of girlish glee in her voice. Her brother turned back to look at her. "This is my mate, Link," he answered as the blond walked up behind him. "I wish the two of you could have met when you were young Onessai. You would have loved him." A lone tear made its way down the bluenet's cheek slowly. He could feel it. His sister was leaving, fading away.

"Please don't cry for me big brother," Onessai said. "I've lived a full life, a good life. I've been happy and gifted with two beautiful children. I'm ready to leave now." She smiled at the bluenet.

"Sweet dreams, Onessai," Link said and she laughed. "Yes, that sounds good." She looked up at the blond. "You make sure he takes care of himself young man. You hear me… or I'll come back to haunt you."

Her words made Link laugh. "Oh, I promised I'll take care of him even if that means beating the crap out of him for being an idiot," he said.

Onessai's eyes closed slowly. "Thank you Link. Goodbye big brother," she whispered. Her breathing stopped eventually. It seemed as if time stood still for a moment… and then Link Misted them out of there.

* * *

The thin line of light spit and cracked. It stretched far up in the sky, casting lightning bolts on the world around it. Link looked up at it. This rift had been left unattended for a long time. He would need help if he was to close it. He ran a hand over his face while letting out an annoyed sigh. _'This will take some preparation,' _he though.

Flaring, he landed in Szayel's lab. **_"Hey, Zaeru-san. I've got a problem could you tare yourself away from Zanto for a moment?"_** he called out knowing that the scientist was informed as soon as someone set foot in his labs.

It took a few minutes before the pink-haired Arrancar came walking out off a hidden door. He looked none too pleased with being interrupted, but he did have a soft spot of the blond so he wouldn't get annoyed with the teen quite as easily as he would have if it was one of the others. **_"Hai, Rinku what do you want?"_** he asked.

**_"_****_I've found the Rift but the thing is huge. There is just no way I can deal with it on my own,"_** Link told the scientist.

Szayel's yellow eyes lit up in excitement. **_"You found it,"_** he said gleefully. **_"Show me."_** He reached out and grabbed onto the blond.

Link nodded and Flared them back to where he'd found the Rift.

.

.

.

The former Espada, Link and Midna were gathered by the rift. They were sitting in a half circle clasping hands. The only one that hadn't joined the group sitting in the sand yet was Szayel. He was walking around the construction he'd created checking it for mistakes or deformities. Once done he sat down next to Link. The blond clasped his hand and he breathed in slowly. Taking Ulquiorra's hand to his right, he said, "Let's do this… remember you need to make and hold a Cero. And don't under any circumstances let it go. We'll have to start all over if you do that."

Link chuckled softly. His bright green eyes closed as he gathered his magic in a closed knit ball in front of him.

As the Cero's grew bigger they met. It became harder and harder for the participants to hold their Reishi in check as their Cero's merged. Their Reiatsu started pulsating dangerously. Midna bit her lip as she reached out over the field of power to steady it. It would exhaust her but if she didn't do it they might not make it. The Arrancar weren't designed to combine their powers after all. Sweat stared dripping down her forehead. _'Oh, please work,'_ she thought. Holding on to the others' power together with her own, she felt how her reserves started running low. **_"Rinku please do something,"_** she begged her voice strained from the power she was using.

_'__Do something,'_ Link thought. _'It's Szayel's invention I don't know how it works.'_ He could feel the orangette fading, though, and he knew that if something wasn't done this would fail. In a desperate attempt to both close the Rift and help Midna, he pulled as much of the power around him as he could before standing up on wobbly legs. He raised his staff which had been lying next to him as they started the experiment, and held it with both hands. His head was buzzing and his hands hurt. He tried to focus the power on a single spot in front of him, but it was so hard to manage. The pain built up slowly; it spread through his arms into his chest making it difficult to breathe.

A beam of light broke free from the blonde's body. It went straight for the Rift.

Zzzeeeeecccchhhhhhhh!

The Rift closed slowly. It spat and sizzled in protest, but it did close…..slowly.

Thump! Link's body hit the sand.

Midna fell back into the white dunes exhausted. Her burnt-orange eyes blinked closed slowly. The last thing she saw was Starrk moving up to her. A small smile graced her lips as she fainted.

.

Grimmjow was clutching his head, shaking it slowly. Tears were running down his cheeks. Reaching out slowly, he ran the fingers of his left hand over his mate's cold cheek. "Link," he whispered.

The people around him were standing or sitting there quietly. None of them knew entirely what to say.

The bluenet grabbed a hold of his lover slowly and pulled him up to his chest. "Wake up, Link," he whispered his voice breaking. He could feel a hand landing on his shoulder. A presence joined him but offered him no comfort.

His reaction or lack there off scared the people around him. He was too quiet.

No one had a clue how long they sat there.

_'__Pull yourself together Grimmjow.'_

The bluenet looked up ready to shout at whoever it was that had said something when he felt his consciousness being pulled back to his inner world. He tried to fight it but didn't really have the energy to do so. He didn't move once he'd landed in the jungle-like area. Tears continued streaming down his cheeks. "Why did we do that?" he said. "WHY!"

"He would still be here if we hadn't cared about that STUPID FUCKING RIFT!" he roared.

"Oh, for heavens sake Grimmjow shut up and calm down," Pantera said angrily. The panther walked over to the bluenet and stepped onto his chest. "Calm down and search the area around you," the panther said with a growl.

Grimmjow looked up his eyes meeting Pantera's sharp teeth. He really wasn't afraid of the feline, but decided to listen none the less. As he took a deep breath, he let his senses move out over his inner world. _'Why am I doing this?' _he wondered. Why was he wasting time in there when Link was….? His eyes opened wide as he felt it. There was a faint pulse. He was up from the ground so fast that Pantera flew back.

He moved quickly through the thick underbrush. "Link…" he whispered. The blond was lying by a small pond. He fell down on his knees next to the teen. Reaching out, he moved the long blond hair out of his mate's face. "Wake up Link," he said softly. He lifted the blond up and cradled him to his chest. "Come on love wake up," he whispered.

.

.

.

Green eyes opened slowly. A shallow breath was pulled in. "Grimm…" he breathed out. He tried to raise a hand but his limbs were too heavy. "Grimm…jow…" he tried to catch his lover's attention once more.

The bluenet's eyes opened as he moved Link away from his chest. He sat there just looking into the blonde's green eyes for what could have been forever before he said, "Don't you ever do that to me again. I though I lost you once. I don't appreciate it happening again."

"T's not like I planed to do that Grimm…" Link said weakly. "It sorta just happened." He tilted he head so it was leaning against the bluenet's chest. "I'm tired," he whispered his eyes closing slowly. He felt strong fingers grab his chin. He opened his eyes slowly.

"Don't you dare fall asleep if you're not going to wake up," Grimmjow said sternly.

Link chuckled tiredly. "I'll see you outside love," he said.

…

Link looked out over Hueco Mundo. The sun was shining now. It was the first time in living memory that the sun had been seen in the dark world. He was still exhausted, but he was getting annoyed with just lying around. Right now he was sitting next to Starrk. Midna was back in the Twilight Realm for now, and she'd taken Lilynette with her so the brunet was a bit depressed.

**_"_****_Rinku!"_**

The blond blinked lazily as he turned his head towards the voice. _'Oh, shit,'_ was the first thing that went through his head as he saw the teen. He leaned back and groaned in distress.

"What's wrong cub?" Starrk asked lazily.

"Ichigo is here," Link said. He looked up as the oranget reached them. **_"Kon'nichiwa Ichigo-kun," _**he said to the teen.

**_"_****_Kon'nichiwa Rinku,"_** Ichigo said.

**_"_****_What are you doing here?"_** Link asked. He doubted that the blond had been in Hueco Mundo when they destroyed the Rift.

Ichigo sighed. He sat down in the sand next to the blond. **_"I was in Souru Sosaeti dealing with some things concerning the Winter War and then this strange …"_** he searched for the word but couldn't find one, **_"anyway when I tried to use the Senkaimon to go back home it didn't work and then reports came in of Hollow attacks which was strange so I went out with Rukia and Renji, and we followed the Hollows until we had white sand beneath our feet._** **_You know white sand doesn't exist in Souru Sosaeti, but we'd seen plenty of it here so Renji and Rukia went back to tell the others, but I thought that you guys wouldn't mind if I showed up."_** He looked over to Las Noches as he realised that he'd been rambling. **_"Do you have any idea what's going on?"_** he asked.

Link closed his eyes and rubbed a hand over his face. **_"Hai, I know what's going on," _**he said. **_"I'll travel over to Seireitei and explain it to Sōtaichō once I'm well enough to do so. In the mean time the short version is that we closed the connection between Hueco Mundo and the Human World for good a few days ago. Connections like that are dangerous and it had to be done. I had no idea that_** **_Souru Sosaeti was connected to Hueco Mundo. There must have been some kind of barrier between the two that was destroyed when we destroyed the Rift."_** He looked at the oranget with an apologetic expression. **_"I'm sorry that I locked you away from your family,"_** he said.

Ichigo's brown eyes widened. **_"There is no way back,"_** he said processing the information. He'd never see his sisters again or his idiot father. He'd never get hit over the head by Tatsuki or act like he was ignoring Keigo together with Mizuiro. He felt arms wrap around him as tears started running down his face.

**_"_****_Ssshhh…sssshhh,"_** Link pulled the younger teen closer. He could understand the oranget. He'd lost his family too when he fell through to Hyrule. He rubbed Ichigo's back soothingly. At least the teen wasn't alone. He had plenty of friends around. What he didn't like was that Ichigo's family would never know that he was alright. He moved back and shifted them so that Ichigo lay in his lap as he leaned back in his seat next to Starrk. He started petting the teen's orange hair slowly as the boy cried himself to sleep.

* * *

…

43 years later

In the Human Realm

…

Erenigh watched as Harry sat down next to his crying daughter. Little Link had fallen through a Rift just before they closed it. The boy had disappeared, and now there was no way to reach him.

_~"One day you will understand."~_ A memory of a young man with blond hair and green eyes flashed through his head. The young man had given him a letter. _~"I need you to give this to my family when the time comes,"~ _he had said. The redhead's eyes widened. He turned around and exited his big brothers' living room.

"Erenigh where are you going?"

The amber eyed man turned around. "I need to go get something from home, Philip. Don't worry I'll be back in a sec…" he said just before apparating. After landing in the bedroom he ran out of the room and opened the door to the attic. He hurried over to an old dusty box and pulled it open. The envelope had turned a bit yellow but is seemed O.K. He stood up as best as he could before making his way back down stairs. Appearing back at Link and Harry's house, he walked back inside quickly. He bit his lip as he saw Saria. She was crying still; who could blame her? She'd just lost her youngest child. "Takeshi," he said softly turning to her husband. He held the letter out to the man.

Takeshi accepted the envelope. He looked down at the script on the front.

_To Takeshi, Saria, Matthew, Lillian, Jane, Hanna, Harry and Link_

_In your time of sorrow_

He narrowed his eyes. "What is this?" he asked.

Erenigh took a deep breath. "It was given to me about forty years ago. The person who gave it to me told me to give it to his family when the time came," he said. He turned to Harry. "Where do you have the Mirror Pensieve, Harry," he asked.

The raven looked over to his husband. "Will you get the mirror please love?" he asked.

The blond disappeared through a door. He returned less than a minute later with a plain mirror. It was cloudy almost like the surface of a regular Pensieve. He handed it over to Erenigh.

The redhead closed his eyes. Mirror pensieves could only show a single still picture but it could be shown to more people much easier than with a regular Pensieve. A picture appeared on its surface, a picture of a blond boy in his late teens. He had bright green eyes and was wearing something that closely resembled Link's Kokiri tunic. Erenigh turned the picture to the others in the room.

There was a collective gasp.

"That… that's my son," Saira said. She looked up at Erenigh. "When did you see him like this, Nigh… tell me," she demanded.

"Back when you were ten," Erenigh said. "He just showed up out of nowhere. I'm sure that the letter explains that better than I can. He didn't want to tell me much since that could change things in the future. All I can say for sure is that a man showed up and they seemed rather close."

Takeshi looked down at the letter. He opened it slowly. "Dear family – I've already written all your names so I'm not doing it again – I hope that everyone is O.K. but I guess that since I just disappeared it isn't all that likely," he read. "I would like to just tell you that I'm fine and leave it at that but I guess mom will be angry if I do that…"

"Of course I will son don't you dare leave it at that," Saria exclaimed.

Her husband looked up at her somewhat amused. "…so I will write down what has been going on in my life so far. It all starts with me waking up in a small clearing. There was a Deku baba not far from where I woke up and….

… so that is why I'm no longer with you guys. I hope you're happy knowing that I'm happy with Grimmjow. We'll be closing the Rift tomorrow so you don't have to worry about it. Live a full life O.K. and remember that I love you guys. Link jr," Takeshi finished. He breathed in almost choking on the air.

"So, he's alright and happy," Saria said. She was crying again, but it wasn't really tears of sadness anymore. She was happy for her son.

"Doesn't that mean that little brother is older than all of the rest of us now?" Lillian said.

Harry chuckled. "It doesn't really work that way dear. When he left for Hueco Mundo was it? and closed the Rift there, he left this world's time count behind so it is impossible to say how long time has passed for him over there," he said.

The girl tilted her head to the side before she simply shrugged. "Well, I guess that doesn't really matter as long as he's happy," she said.

"As long as he's happy…."

…

At the same time in Hueco Mundo.

…

**_"_****_Calm down Ichigo or I'll tear you to fucking pieces,"_** Grimmjow said angrily. **_"Do you expect Rinku and Zaeruto allow something bad to happen to her in there? She'll be fine."_**

Ichigo stopped. **_"You know,"_** he said. **_"I wouldn't mind a fight right now at least that would take my mind off my nerves."_**

**_"_****_Oh, no you don't,"_** Midna said sharply. **_"Your wife is in there giving birth to your child. You are not leaving."_**

The former Espada and the Twili ruler had all welcomed Ichigo with open arms when he'd decided to stay with them rather than live with the Shinigami. He still had contact with his friends but the Central 46 pissed him off enough for him to leave Soul Society. They would have to find someone else to solve their problems.

Gotei 13 had been working with Kamen, which is what the former Espada called themselves now, to come up with a way for their two races to coexist. It wasn't the easiest thing to manage but the Taichō, Fukutaichō, Kamen and their Fracción were capable of working together. They had over the years created several laws that worked to keep things in check.

Link came walking out of the infirmary with a small bundle in his arms. **_"Here Ichigo you have a healthy baby boy,"_** he said as he stopped in front of the oranget. He moved the top part of the cloth wrapped around the baby off, showing bright orange hair.

A bright smile spread Ichigo's face whipping out his normal frown completely. He reached out for his child, and Link placed the boy in his arms. **_"Daichi,"_** he whispered happily.

**_"_****_You can go in to Merurina in just a moment,"_** the blond said. He moved back into the infirmary so he could help with the clean up.

Ichigo smiled down at his son.

**_"_****_Kare wa totemo kawaī,"_** Midna said she smiled down at the boy.

Grimmjow scoffed. **_"Kare wa hadaka no nezumi no yōnimieru,"_** he said and Midna hit him. **_"Keep quiet he's cute,"_** she said. **_"You're lucky Rinku didn't hear you."_**

The bluenet grimaced. He knew quite well that Link wouldn't appreciate him calling the kid a naked rat. He moved away from the others hoping that they would have forgotten his somewhat unfitting comment. They hadn't and Link was not thrilled. He'd said something along the lines of it being a blessing that they couldn't have children because he'd be terrible as a father.

So what? Grimmjow did want any stupid runts anyway.

…

The once white land was now filled with green grass. The sand was still there in places but flowers grew in the grass and the land was filled with colours. They no longer lived in Las Noches. The old fortress had been evened with the ground years before. Link was sitting on a small hill not to far away from the village they had made for themselves. The wind was blowing through his hair as it carried with it the scent of jasmine.

**_"_****_Rinku-san!" _**

The blond ducked out of the way. He saw the orange-haired girl as she flew over him. He turned his head to the side. **_"Really Dawyna what have I told you about attacking me out of the blue?"_** he said. He sat up once more.

**_"_****_Eh, not to do it cause you don't like it,"_** Dawyna said sheepishly.

Link nodded. **_"That's right honey,"_** he said as he held his arms out for her. The girl squealed and threw herself at him. He caught her and hugged her close. **_"So, what have you done with your mother and father?" _**he asked.

Dawyna shrugged. **_"Dunno,"_** she answered.

Link rolled his eyes and checked the area for the girl's parents. It didn't take him long to locate the two. Thankfully they were on their way to him. He wasn't really up to dealing with the energetic orangette that day. She started pulling at him and he sighed. **_"Not now Dawyna,"_** he said.

**_"_****_Oh, but Rinku-saaaaaan,"_** Dawyna whined.

**_"_****_Stop that Dawyna. If Rinku doesn't want to then he doesn't have to. He plays with you plenty,"_** Midna said as she came into view.

The little orangette sighed. **_"O.K. mommy," _**she said a put out.

**_"_****_On your way to visit Ichigo, Merurina and little Daichi are you?"_** Link asked Midna.

Midna nodded. **_"Hai, Merurina wanted some company,"_** she said as she grabbed Dawyna's hand. **_"They're expecting us so we should get going."_**

Link smiled at her. **_"Have fun and I'll see you later,"_** he said.

**_"_****_Bye-bye, Rinku."_**

**_"_****_Bye-Bye."_**

"Au revoir."

Link watched the family as they disappeared over another hill.

"Yo, I guess it's safe to join you now."

The blond turned towards the voice. "Hey love," he said happily. "Are you and Ulquiorra done now?"

The bluenet nodded as he sat down. "For now at least. We have to talk to Harribel before we can proceed, and she won't be back for a while yet," he said. He reached out and grabbed the blond pulling him close.

"I'm bored," Link said. He looked up at his mate. "Isn't there some unruly colony somewhere we can deal with?"

Grimmjow burst out laughing. He tightened his grip on the smaller man. "I think I've been rubbing off on you," he said lecherously.

Link snorted. "Oh, you know I don't mind you rubbing off on me, but I wanna kill shit first O.K." he said. His eyes were huge and pleading as he looked up at the bluenet.

Grimmjow sighed. "Sure whatever," he said jokingly. He stood up pulling the blond with him. Their lips locked and they shared a loving kiss. "I know a colony that we can go to," he said after letting Link back down on the ground.

"Oh, goody," the blond said happily while clapping his hands.

The two lovers took off in the warm sunlight. It wasn't the first time they went out to simply kill Hollows and it wouldn't be the last. It was the way they preferred living. Fighting for the thrill of it. Fucking whenever they liked. Sure they had responsibilities but it wasn't like there was a lot they had to really care about. But it was the reason they had chosen to live in Hueco Mundo.

Landing in a part of the Hollow realm that still held sand, they drew their weapons ready for another battle.


End file.
